An Oldest Brother's Comfort 2
by Coooool123
Summary: Fear can be powerful. Crippling. And, under the right circumstances, very dangerous if left unchecked. Which is probably why their Dad got them to spend months building a 'daymare machine'. Now, a certain Koopaling takes it upon himself to help his younger siblings with their fears, while struggling to fight his own. Sequel to An Oldest Brother's Comfort, but not required reading.
1. Chapter 1: Uncontrollable Elements

Ludwig stoically looked around as the small chamber he was in shifted into darkness. He knew what to expect, for the most part. He'd helped design the rooms, after all, even if he had never physically tested them himself. He also knew that the one in charge of the machine couldn't see what he was going to experience, only his reaction. Perhaps it would be to his benefit; he did not know what he was about to face. But, then again, perhaps it would also be to his detriment, for he was unsure how he would react.

There was a part of him, buried in the recesses of his mind, quiet while still clamouring to be heard, that really didn't want to know.

He firmly pushed the concern away, refusing to acknowledge it.

 _Nien. No fear going into zhis. Zere vill be enough of zhat in a moment.  
_

He remained unmoving as the room slowly faded to black. Experimentation with the chambers had taught him not to move too much, for though the emptiness appeared vast, three steps would have him running snout first into the wall. He'd seen many a minion experience that feeling. He let out an impatient sigh, eager to get this over with, and idly tugged at the virtual reality sensors running up his arms, designed to make the simulations as realistic as possible. There was one that was itching on the back of his neck though he didn't dare move it lest he delay the inevitable.

Ludwig could not expect the unexpected at this point, for he had to admit that despite his genius and self-awareness, he did not truly know what his greatest fear would be, nor did he know how virtual reality would present it to him. He had always viewed himself as the fearless oldest brother, keeping cold and calculated under pressure, and being a support to his younger siblings, regardless of if they wanted or acknowledged it or not.

The anticipation of not knowing probably concerned him more at that point than the actual fear itself.

But this was quick to change.

Ludwig started as he heard a cry from his second-youngest brother. Looking around, he spotted Larry, battered and bruised, a fang chipped and skin dirt-covered, as the darkness slowly threatened to consume him. He reached out to the oldest, immeasurable pain and fright clearly visible from his vibrant, baby blue irises as he crawled forward, desperate to escape the blackness. Ludwig was frozen in place, faintly wondering to himself what was going on.

A thick vine, the shade of clouded midnight, violently lashed out, wrapped itself around Larry's body, and covered a part of his mouth, dragging him back into the abyss that surrounded them. Ludwig allowed a cry to emit from his mouth, piercing through the silence that had formed as Larry was swallowed up.

"Larry!" He took a step forward, eyes wide.

 _No. Calm yourself. This is not real.  
_

Despite his attempt at reassurance, Ludwig found himself frozen in shock. While Larry wasn't exactly the strongest, he also wasn't a pushover. But he had been taken away so easily, and-

Another shriek sounded directly behind him. This time it was Lemmy who was clamouring to get to him, left eye halfway closed, looking even worse than Larry had been, his lower legs consumed by the blackness.

Ludwig did not allow himself to hesitate this time, and rushed over to the second-oldest, grabbing onto his hands with a firm grip.

"L-Ludwig," Lemmy whispered, voice hoarse and frightened, "D-don't let me go…"

"I von't, brozzer," Ludwig replied, gritting his teeth as he attempted to maintain composure. The last thing Lemmy needed was to see him looking afraid. "I am in control. I vill not let go. I promise you."

The wall of ooze began to slowly cover Lemmy's body, taking its time to consume the smallest Koopaling, almost as if it was mocking them. The tension between the brothers and the wall eventually grew taunt as Ludwig dug his feet into the ground. Lemmy's body rose with said tension, until they were at eye level with each other.

The blackness continued to consume Lemmy, and he would not budge. It was as if he was stuck in a blob of tar. Ludwig suddenly lost his grip when the blackness covered most of Lemmy's left arm and yanked it away. Becoming ever more desperate, the musician, being the quick calculating Koopa that he was, grabbed onto Lemmy's right arm and held on for dear life as Lemmy began to cry out of fright and pain.

"Ludwig…" Lemmy choked on the name, eyes widened in terror. The mysterious ooze was now up to the back of his head, and Ludwig knew he was fighting a losing battle. Despite the situation and his panic, a small fraction of his mind continued to speak to him.

 _Let him go. Eet's not real. Zhis eez all an illusion undt you know eet.  
_

Yet the older sibling part of him refused to listen, and for good reason. His brother's life was at stake and he was not about to risk that, no matter how simulated the situation was. He felt himself slipping on the cold floor beneath him as his arms gave way to fatigue. He let out a strangled cry as he lost his grip and fell onto his tail, being far overpowered by whatever it was that he had been fighting against, and Lemmy was flung backwards into the ooze with a strangled cry of betrayal, leaving Ludwig alone once more. The last thing Ludwig saw of his brother was his hand, the mire taunting him as it was slowly pulled in.

"Lemmy! No!" Ludwig screeched and tried to rush forward, but it was as if an invisible wall pushed against him.

 _Composure. Zhis is all a simulation. Everyzing you see eez a lie.  
_

He was starting to get irritated with his logic. He didn't care if it was real or not at this point. He just wanted his siblings back. Yet, strangely enough, he did not feel much fear. Anger, sadness, confusion… yes, all of those emotions were there. But fear? It had yet to make itself manifest. Ludwig attempted to ponder this conundrum, wondering what this could all mean.

More cries interrupted his thought process. He glanced around to see Wendy, Iggy, Morton, Junior… All of them, looking as battered as the two that had been taken before, stared upwards at the oldest, begging him for help. He looked at each indecisively. He couldn't save them all in time. He would have to make a choice.

It was a rare moment when he allowed his emotions to dictate his actions, and he leapt for Junior, the one closest to him. After all, better to try to save one than allow for everyone to suffer, right?

All four were simultaneously ripped from his grasp, regardless of his decision, and he landed roughly on his stomach.

Ludwig got to his knees in horror, looking down at the floor, not wanting to believe it, his eyes as wide as they had ever been. How could he have allowed this to happen? All of them taken away by the shadows, leaving him alone, with only the thought that he had been unable to save them. Morton, Iggy, Larry, Lemmy, Wendy, Junior… everyone, gone. All of his siblings, ripped from his hands in this desolate, nightmare-fueled–

…Wait.

Wait just one second here.

Where…?

Where was Roy?

What had happened to him?

Was he okay?

With a shaky breath, Ludwig stood up and looked around again, glaring icily into the inky shadows, as if threatening them to mess with him again, and challenging them to taunt him with his unseen brother.

A familiar cackle echoed from above, and Ludwig looked up. It was deeper, darker, and crueller, to be sure. But it was undeniable who the voice belonged to, despite the alterations.

The shadows parted, and there stood Roy, smirking down at him, teeth gleaming in a non-existent light. He was ten times Ludwig's size, and as he looked down Ludwig noticed the blackness rise up in front of the large Koopaling, covering over his hands, which he held as if he was preparing to play a piece on a piano. Strands of sludge slowly descended in front of him, each holding one of his siblings, all unconscious, as if they had been turned into live marionettes.

A sick, twisted thought.

Roy's glasses gleamed with his fangs, and Ludwig swore that the black glass was even darker than before. Because of the shades, the oldest couldn't tell if Roy was being controlled by the parasitic sludge, or if he was doing this of his own accord.

Truth be told, Ludwig wasn't sure which option terrified him more.

"You've lost, Ludwig," Roy snickered, three siblings per hand, bouncing around as he moved his fingers in all directions, like playing a song. The motions did seem familiar to him, and Ludwig suddenly felt a jolt run through his memory.

They seemed familiar because they were.

Roy was imitating his sixth sonata, the most famous by far and his pride jewel in his collection of musical masterpieces.

On cue, the song played around him. But it was different this time. Altered. Tampered. Corrupted.

Ludwig would have been furious had he been less concerned for his siblings' safety.

"Roy, let zhem go!" he commanded, in an attempt to regain his control.

"You've lost, Ludwig," he repeated again, quieter this time, voice filled with satisfaction. The slime covered over their unconscious siblings, obscuring them from Ludwig's view. The black figures of his siblings gained eyes without pupils and mouths with dark teeth, the colours corresponding to the shades of their shells when they should have been white, all grinning wickedly down at him, whispering the same words that Roy had uttered moments ago.

Ludwig felt his composure slipping away, as if it had gained form and was dripping down his back, pooling at his feet. "Stop eet! Enough! Zhat eez an order!"

Roy could only laugh as the black ooze covered over him as well, leaving Ludwig alone once more, save for the cackling voice of his brother and the echoes of his other siblings. He shivered as his composure continued to stream down his body. It took him a moment to realize that what he was feeling wasn't his poise rushing away from him, and looked at his shell. The slime had lodged itself there, and stuck to his body, refusing to relinquish its grip no matter how hard Ludwig pulled at it. Only his face remained fully free of the substance as it webbed its way over his back and onto the backs of his arms and legs, turning him into a puppet. It felt like a mixture of spider webs and tar.

He hated it.

Once it had solidified, Ludwig could only stare in futility as the scenes rapidly changed before his eyes.

First, his room. It was a chaotic mess. Papers everywhere. Most flying out the window, and some of those falling to the lava below. The pages that survived were taken by others, who claimed them as their own.

He couldn't bring himself to rage.

Another scene went past, this one of his siblings. He felt slight relief that they were okay, but this was quickly extinguished when he saw them, Roy excluded once more, being chained like Chomps and stuffed into Ukiki cages, their screams and fright burning into his mind. All the while, his hotheaded brother laughed along with the despicable Mario Brothers, and he counted coins as they were transported away to slave for their enemies.

He couldn't bring himself to cry.

A third scene came up, this one of his father pressing a crown and sceptre into his hand. He was forced in front of the Kingdom, forced into becoming heir. The troops cheered as he was pushed out onto a balcony, a royal robe being draped over his shoulders by two Paragoombas, while his siblings were absent from the scene.

He couldn't bring himself to scream.

 _No. No no no._ This was not what he wanted to have. This was what he wanted to avoid. He had done everything in his power to avoid this. _Any_ of this. His plans, everything that he had worked so hard to achieve, they were all crumbling around him. He couldn't stop anything from happening, as the tar-like substance made painfully aware. As the scenes continued, each making him helpless to circumstance, he felt his stomach tighten and bile rise in his throat. Panic enveloped his mind, growing ever stronger, until–

Ah. _There_ was the fear.

And with it, his logic suddenly returned, a plethora of repetition. Two three worded sentences, over and over, as his mind shouted what his heart refused to accept.

 _It's not real. It's an illusion. It's not real. It's an illusion. It's not real. It's an illu–  
_

"SHUT UP!" he howled, clutching at his head while he looked down at the floor, wide-eyed, in a vain attempt to drown out the voice. He allowed hot tears fall from his face and onto his legs as he crouched down on his knees and wept. He hadn't noticed that the goop was gone by this point, vanishing with the illusions that had first petrified him, and leaving only the voice behind. His body shook as panic poured out from his mind, and he could not bring himself to do anything but cry and scream. The repetitive voice would not cease, echoing into the room, a voice not his this time for it carried no accent with it, and no familiarity whatsoever. He shoved his hands over his ears in a desperate attempt to silence the noise. "Shut up shut up SHUT UP!"

A loud thunk shook him from his panic and he looked up, unsure what to expect anymore. A mirror had been placed in front of him. He stared at himself, frightened, as the image warped and shifted until a villainous, smiling face shone behind him. Ludwig didn't dare glance away to see if it was truly a reflection or not, lest something dangerous happened. Only the eyes and mouth were visible, as well as a control bar for a marionette, which was held in a ink-like hand and connected to Ludwig's arms and legs, where the ooze had lodged before.

It was then that realization struck him.

He had lost control.

He had lost control over everything.

He had even lost control over himself.

Ludwig curled up again, squeezing his eyes shut as the multiple illusions began to play simultaneously, overwhelming the musician. He clenched his teeth so greatly he feared they would break, and, digging his claws into his skull as he cried once more, Ludwig silently begged the operator to end the simulation, to end this nightmare where he could not affect anything around him; where he had no choice, no command, no control.

…

 _…But zhat's it. Don't you see?  
_

 _Your greatest fear.  
_

 _Eet eez your fear of losing control over vhat eez around you.  
_

"…A fear… my fear… of losing control…"

The words left his lips in a whisper, silencing his logic, silencing the cries of his siblings, the laughter of his brother, the cheers of the minions, his own sobs, everything.

He wasn't sure of what made him come to that conclusion. Perhaps his analytical nature had worked it out in the background, while he suffered through the scenes that the simulation had placed before him. Regardless of how it had occurred, he was relieved by the peace that followed it.

His eyes wide once more, Ludwig stared at the floor in front of him, the bottom of the mirror just outside his line of vision, as he worked out what had just occurred.

It made sense, now that he thought about it. In each scenario, Ludwig had been powerless to do anything. He could not maintain the order of his room and save his music from falling into the hands of others. He had been unable to save his siblings. He had been forced to take up the position of heir.

Ludwig slowly came to the realization that, throughout his life, he savoured control. Everything was in order. He had plans for his plans, and hated when things became out of place. He was not obsessive, per se, but his messes still had an order to them. Even when he had lost his hearing, he was still able to have control in that he could continue with his music. Even when he had lost his mother, he still managed to find control in guiding and helping his siblings, leading and directing them.

But the sense of having no control whatsoever over his circumstances was truly what he feared most.

The cruel face in the mirror shifted expressions, from one of harshness to one of compassion, and handed him the control bar. Ludwig looked up in shock, startled that the face in the mirror actually had a source. He hesitated, not sure whether he should take the device or not. A gentle nudge helped him come to a decision. He accepted the control bar and held it in his left hand, while wiping the tears from his eyes with his right forearm.

Another voice spoke up, yet this time there was a hint of identification to it. Ludwig had no idea what it was, though, but it did seem a bit more… recognizable. Not the same as at first. There was more emotion this time around.

 _"Learning what one's fear is can be the first step to conquering it."  
_

Ludwig nodded as he stared at the two crisscrossed bars in his hand, the inky strands leading to his arms and legs slowly bubbled away, freeing Ludwig from its hold.

"I… zink… I understand…" Ludwig murmured, looking up at the face, which had shifted to his left. "I… must accept zhat zere vill be circumstances beyond my control at times. Yet growing zrough zhat vill aide me in becoming viser. I have no need to fear losing control, for it vill be inevitable. Learning to adjust to circumstance vill make me stronger." He paused. "Isn't zhat right, Fizzlip?"

The machine shut off, and Ludwig found himself in the small simulation room, staring directly at a small camera. Bright lights filled his vision, yet he did not break his gaze.

He had come to realize that the first voice was simply part of the simulation. But this second one was not. It had had an outside source. The shift in emotion at the end, that sense of compassion, had revealed that. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together to figure out whose voice it was, but it sure did help.

He let out a breath of relief. Ludwig could not deny how intense the entire thing had proved to be. He knew that the simulations would have been stressful, designed to pinpoint the worst nightmares and exuberate them to appear realistic, but he didn't think that they would be to that extreme. Though, having never actually experienced it, he never could have fathomed what would happen. He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the first test subject, a Koopa with arachnophobia. He shuddered as he could only imagine what the poor minion had gone through, given his current experience. At least now he truly knew his greatest fear. Perhaps he had always known, but it had been part of a subconscious, self-created illusion to give him the satisfaction of appearing to have more control.

Oh, the irony of the situation.

As got to his feet and began to remove the virtual reality sensors from his arms, legs, and shell, his thoughts shifted to his siblings. A pink-headed tough guy in particular. What part Roy had to play in this entire self-revelation, he had no idea. But he was definitely avoiding the hothead for the rest of the day; that was for certain. It wasn't that he was _scared_ of him or anything.

It was… just in case.

Because he felt like it.

There was a crackling from an overhead speaker and a nervous voice echoed into his chamber.

"I-I'm sorry, Prince Ludwig!"

"I zought you vere instructed not to interfere vith our self-revelations," Ludwig raised an eyebrow, too relieved that the simulation was over to be annoyed.

"I-I know, I know! B-but King Bowser wanted me to say that to the first one who realized their fear! H-he said it was guidance for later, or something like that!"

 _Guidance…? For later? Vhat een Darkland eez he…_ "Vell, at least you vaited until I came to ze realization on my own. I _suppose_ zhat means you kept your vord..." Admittedly, he would've preferred if the interruption had come a bit sooner if it meant saving face.

With a deep exhale, Ludwig took a moment to regain his composure. Or, now that he thought about it, to regain his control.

A grimace spread across his face. _Overcoming zhis may take avhile…_ "And ze ozzers?"

"A-all the simulations ended at the same time, as per the instructions."

 _Vait, zhen zhat means…_ "Ze ozzers proved unable to complete ze challenge?"

There was a small gulp. "Y-yes…"

This bothered Ludwig more than it should have under normal circumstances. Then again, this day hadn't exactly been normal… ever since this morning's events, things had felt… different. Especially around his siblings, and he couldn't exactly put a claw on it.

 _Surely at least Iggy or Vendy vouldn't have been phased for long. And vhat about Roy…?  
_

He felt himself shudder involuntarily. Speaking of different, why was it that his most stubborn brother had become so nerve-wracking to him now? Sure, he'd been the cause of a lot of the trouble throughout the simulation, but… it had all been an illusion. He wouldn't actually do any of that.

…Right?

"I vill meet vith you soon to analyze ze results."

There was no reply except for the click of a door being unlocked, and he glanced back to see the exit slowly swinging open. Ludwig wished that he could've at least seen the subordinate's face, so that he could try to figure out what had happened in the other rooms.

 _Oh vell. In a few moments, zhat vill not matter anyvay.  
_

Ludwig quickly hurried to the door, wanting to inquire of his siblings as to what they had experienced. The first thing he saw when he exited the simulation chamber was Roy's fleeing shell. He almost called out to him, opening his mouth to shout, but something held him back. Maybe it was Roy's stance, the tightness of his clenched fists, or his own uneasiness. Regardless, no sound left his throat and he slowly closed his mouth and stared after his brother's retreating form until the purple-shelled Koopaling rounded a corner and was out of sight.

The other rooms' occupants slowly trickled out as well. From what he saw, their expressions were annoyingly impassive, though a few seemed to be turning away from the others, rubbing their faces in what could only be an attempt to cover up the fact that they had possibly been crying.

Considering how Ludwig had reacted, he didn't blame them for hiding. He would have done the same.

It was a bit concerning that none of them were speaking to each other, though. Not even Lemmy and Iggy exchanged glances as they went their separate ways. It was a bit… disappointing, if he was being completely honest. He had hoped that at least Lemmy or Larry would've tried to give or receive comfort to one of the more receptive Koopalings, but even they were being distant.

Within moments, he was the only one remaining in the hall. His mind clamoured for music to calm his nerves, but something else was nagging at him, and he wasn't about to let go of it so quickly. With a nod of resolve, the German-accented Koopaling began to make his way to the control room for the simulation chambers.

He glanced around the darkened room as he entered, the only lights coming from the various screens and machines he and Iggy had recently assembled, under King Dad's orders, of course. The first thing that caught his attention was a clock on the wall opposite him. Despite how long it had felt, the simulation itself had been very brief. Barely ten minutes had passed since the start of the experiment, and he knew it had taken at least a quarter of that time to make his way over here. It came as a bit of a surprise, since his own experience had felt so lengthy, but he supposed fear had a way of creating such an illusion.

There was a large control panel taking up the entire left wall. Above them were various stat screens, slightly angled towards the floor. In the middle of the room were two smaller control panels, designed to control the simulation rooms and alert the operator of any emergencies that came up during the process. They also stored the information extrapolated from their earlier brain scan that had been designed to program the simulation chamber and cater to each of their individual fears and incorporate said elements into virtual reality.

It really helped to have two geniuses who were willing to work overtime, but it had taken months to design, test, and finalize everything to the point of functionality. As he stood at the entrance of the 'daymare machine's brain', as Larry had so eloquently dubbed it, Ludwig reflected back on when they had first been tasked to such a project.

 _Weed out the weakness._ That was the only explanation his father had given them.

 _But first put us into psychological shock and risk PTSD. Zhat's clearly productive._

With what felt like an obligatory roll of his eyes, Ludwig turned to the only other figure in the room: a young Fizzlet, born and raised in the castle's grounds, who was currently undergoing training for becoming an AED.

How ironically useful.

Though his purple skin was practically invisible in the room's darkness, his bright yellow eyes gleamed with guilt as the prince approached.

"I-I'm sorry, Prince Ludwig..." he repeated, "I didn't mean to interfere… I know I should've waited until afterwards to relay King Bowser's message, but... I really couldn't stand much more of this!"

"Do not allow it to upset you, Fizzlip." Came the exasperated reply. "Vhy zhey assigned a youth such as yourself to such a potentially traumatic task is beyond my comprehension."

Seeing that any chance of getting a fireball to his face had dissipated, the minion allowed himself to relax.

"Alzhough..." Ludwig continued, regarding his young friend with an appreciative nod, though his expression was as serious as ever. "I don't zink I'd be able to trust anyone else vith such a task."

"Hey, thanks, captain! Least SOMEONE has confidence in me..." Fizzlip glared at the screens. "Knowing the rest of them, they probably gave me this task because they don't think I'll keep my mouth shut just because I'm 'still a kid'." A few small sparks burst from the preteen's head as he briefly squished down in annoyance.

"Please. Of all ze electric minions getting trained under my claws, you're ze least of my concerns."

"I'm just glad you and Miss Slasha have my back. You're both good friends!" He shook his head - or rather, his entire body - to refocus himself. "But enough about that. You obviously wanna see the results before they get transferred and wiped."

"Zhat vould be ideal, yes." He gave the minion a warning glare. "But to furzher emphasize zhis-"

"-anything that I see doesn't leave this room!" Fizzlip replied, shrinking a bit under the dragon-Koopa's dark gaze. He'd seen the consequences of having a big mouth, and they weren't pretty.

"Good." With a single nod, Ludwig stepped back and directed his attention to the far left monitor - his own.

To initiate the video feed playback, Ludwig pressed his hand against a blue square button on the main control panel. The screens below lit up simultaneously, all beginning with them entering the rooms. Out of curiosity, he started with himself. He winced as he watched his slow descent into madness, his panicked reactions, and his loss of composure.

 _Yes… zhis is_ definitely _going to take avhile…_

Not wanting to relive that experience, he glanced over at Lemmy's screen. The smallest Koopaling was lying on the floor, curled up in terror, his mouth opened wide in what Ludwig could only assume was a scream as tears streamed freely from his eyes and pooled onto the floor.

Seeing the second oldest in such a petrified state unsettled him, but he knew it wouldn't even begin to compare with what was to come.

Instead of continuing down the line, curiosity got the better of him and he decided to go straight to the end and work his way back. He was very intrigued to see how the so-called 'bane of his existence' (a name given to Junior by the minions who thought he hated the youngest prince) would react to facing his deepest fear. He had never seen much emotion from Junior, and especially not terror. And seeing that he had failed along with the rest of them, it should be interesting to watch his reactions, as sadistic as that probably sounded.

He didn't glance at the other screens as he made his way over to the final one. He figured he might as well stay focused on one at a time rather than getting distracted by them all at once, as it may prove detrimental to his focus. On reaching Junior's monitor, he took in a deep breath to prepare himself for what he would face.

He was surprised to see how similar Junior's reaction was to his own: teeth clenched, balancing on the balls of his feet as he clutched his head and looked off at nothing with terror-filed eyes. Junior's tail vibrated with fear, curled down between his legs. He could only speculate as to what could fill the youngest with such fright.

Ludwig turned his neck to look at the next screen. Larry was huddled in the far left corner, his head tucked into his knees as he shook. Ludwig couldn't see his brother's expression, but he could only imagine that it wasn't a happy one, especially with how tightly he seemed to be huddled in a ball.

Morton was next, and what Ludwig saw wasn't what he expected. He had thought Morton would have been running around the room like a fool, his mouth going a mile a minute, waving his arms in the air like the uncultured buffoon that he was.

Instead, Morton stood solemnly in the middle of the room, eyes shut tight as he fought back tears, fists clenched. He shook a bit, taking great efforts to keep calm. But the most prominent factor was that he clearly said nothing. His mouth didn't budge an inch, not even to bar his teeth, as he stood absorbing whatever it was that was surrounding him. Morton's evident silence was what disturbed Ludwig up the most.

Wendy's reactions were stunningly downplayed to what he had first assumed. All she did was sit elegantly on the floor, looking down with closed eyes, facing the camera as her hands rested gently on her lap. There were no tears, no shaking, no evident terror; in fact, it looked as though she had fallen asleep. Her face was calm. Not even her mouth moved. She seemed so relaxed, and he wondered what exactly her simulation was. Ludwig figured she should have been the one to initiate the shutdown sequence because of her stoic expression. No matter how long he stared at the video, which stopped before the illusions were shut down and began again, it was always the same. She would slowly enter this position, and never show any visible fear.

Ludwig shot Fizzlip a questioning glance, but received nothing but a shrug in reply.

Iggy came next. The second last screen that he was to check displayed a very angry Koopaling. Not so much fear, though that emotion was still evident, albeit supressed. Iggy seemed to have something, or someone, in focus, and glared at whatever it was with a strong sense of what appeared to be betrayal. He seemed to be yelling something, leaning forward with fists clenched.

But his expression soon changed to one of horror, and Iggy reached a hand forward, before collapsing to his hands and knees in defeat.

 _Vell zhat vas certainly interesting…_ Ludwig shifted to the final screen, _I vonder vhat zhat vas all ab-_

The oldest froze on seeing the final screen. Roy's screen, to be precise.

In short, he had never seen such terror before in his entire life. None of the others could even compare to what he was witnessing now.

Roy rested on his knees, facing at a slight angle away from the camera. His hands were clenched onto his head, his forearms in front of his face, as his body trembled violently. He was leaning over his knees, slightly hunched up. His teeth were clenched so fiercely together that they looked ready to break at any second, and he had tears streaming down his face. Never before had Ludwig ever seen such utter petrification from his toughest brother – in fact, he didn't think such raw terror could be evident in any single individual. Not even Luigi could compare to this.

Ludwig felt himself losing nerve just by looking at the screen. He didn't even want to know what could cause such a nightmarish result from the toughest Koopaling of the bunch.

Reflecting on his own experience only fueled the unease in his mind as he turned to face the young minion that had suffered through all of these reactions at once.

"Zhat vas… unexpected."

"I know…" The Fizzlit didn't dare glance at the screens. "I… never thought some of those reactions were even possible. They can really shake a minion up…"

Too troubled by what he had seen to be able to formulate a plan at this moment, he turned to his young friend curiously. "Vhat do you suggest should be done about it?"

This took him aback, and he visibly shook from nervousness and fright. "M-me?"

"Do not be so concerned," Ludwig reassured him, "You've had more time to digest zese reactions. I simply vish to know vhether or not you had any ideas about how to handle zhis."

"W-well… maybe King Bowser would have some advice? Since he's the one who told me to say what I said earlier…?"

"Hm. Zhat's not a bad idea, actually."

"H-he said he'd be in his planning room if you wanted to see him…" The two of them started as a small beep interrupted the tense quiet of the room. Fizzlip glanced at a small screen off to the left, where a USB was glowing a faint orange colour. "And the results just finished getting transferred to his personal drive as well as his private database, so he's probably looking at them right now." The minion moved aside as Ludwig plucked the USB from its hold. "All that's left is for me to wipe the systems."

"I suppose he von't mind if I did ze same for personal analysis… I'll see vhat he says on ze matter." With a single nod, Ludwig pocketed the miniscule storage device and began to leave. "Zank you, Fizzlip. Carry on."

The minion hopped in determination to follow his instructions. "Yes, captain!"

He reached the door, fully intent on confronting his father about what he should do.

"And…"

Ludwig paused.

"Whatever happens… I hope you can all overcome your fears!"

A small smile spread across the oldest's face, unseen by the young minion that was like an adopted little brother to the rest of the castle.

"I hope so too, young von. I hope so too."

And with that, Ludwig turned and left, the gears turning in his mind as he began the long trek to find his father.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

 **Ohhhh maaaaaaaaan this chapter is actually so oooooold I'm worried it's not very good… I feel like this chapter was a little jumpy and rambly, but like I said it's very old so it shouldn't continue like that XD**

 **So there are a few headcanon things I'm going to explain here that should make things easier to understand later on!**

 **First, each of the Koopalings is a 'Captain' of a certain group of minions and heads their training. The groups are divided into species with like abilities depending on their worlds. For example, Ludwig's focus is sky and electricity, so his group is made up of Fizzlets, Bzzaps, Lakitus, etc. Lemmy's group would be made up of Cooligans, Ice Bros, and so on and so forth. Just a little side note to help explain a few minor details!**

 **Second, this fic, for obvious reasons, references 'An Oldest Brother's Comfort', but it's not required to read that one-shot before reading this! I think it's still pretty good though so feel free to check it out if you want to! ^^**

 **Third, this fic is mostly planned out but I do appreciate any positive feedback! That being said, as much as I want to, I can't guarantee regular updates but I'll try not to take forever on this!**

 **Fourth, a minor detail, but there will be OCs mentioned. They don't really play a role in this story, and are mainly there for filler!**

 **And lastly, the next chapter should be up later this week if possible! Much shorter, but hopefully it's good!**


	2. Chapter 2: Parental Direction

Throughout the walk to where Bowser supposedly was, Ludwig took the time to mull over some of the reactions he had seen. Though they weren't the scariest, Morton's and Wendy's had definitely been the most unique. After all, they hadn't exactly shown _fear_ , per se, but that didn't mean they weren't feeling it, either. Iggy's had been similar to his own – in what appeared to be stages as opposed to a direct exposure. Larry, Lemmy, and Junior had all had very similar, immediate reactions, though Ludwig felt the most sympathy for the youngest – with the least amount of experience with dealing with frightening situations, it wasn't surprising that he had seemed so terrified.

And then there was Roy.

His was the most worrisome. He hardly blinked when a giant raging chain chomp was heading his way or a Thwomp accidentally crushed his foot. Whatever it was that had broken him into such a terrible state was enough to make even the most stoic of the Koopalings nervous.

The fact that he wasn't aware of any of his siblings having phobias made the current situation even more concerning. It meant he couldn't accurately hypothesize about their fears or try to come to conclusions, especially if they didn't even know themselves what they were afraid of. He didn't want to be counterproductive by assuming one thing only for it to be something totally different.

 _I_ do _have last night's events to fall back on, but… if the simulation ended by acknowledging one's fears, is it possible zhat zheir true fears are completely different from zheir nightmares?_

He stopped suddenly, in front of a plain-looking wooden door that served as the entrance to his destination. Ludwig quietly slipped into his dad's planning room, where the owner of said room was currently analyzing a note-covered whiteboard. The room itself was covered in pieces of paper, most being memos or brainstorming sessions or blueprints, some crumpled into pieces, some with charged edges. Larger pieces were taped onto the wall, many overlapping as new ideas overshadowed older ones. A large, tan-coloured map with different locales listed on it took up a large portion of the left wall, while knickknacks and memorabilia surrounded it and struggled to be seen underneath more pieces of paper. Many of the names on the map were crossed out with red ink, reminders of failed plots or kingdoms that were no longer worth going after. The centre of the room was home to a massive, elegant looking wooden table that hogged most of the available space, surrounded by matching chairs with red velvet cushions and rounded backs. The seats matched the thick carpet that barely managed to surpass the table's size. Numerous bookshelves lined the walls, full to the brim, and piles of books could also be found in the corners, alongside unmarked binders and journals of various sizes. From atop the table, directly behind his father, a small laptop sat in the middle of this extreme fire hazard of a room, internal fan whirling dutifully in an attempt to keep the device cool. Despite its purpose, the place had a distinct nautical vibe, as if he had walked straight onto a pirate ship.

Bowser didn't even glance over to see who it was. "I expected you to show up after all that."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Did you now. Undt how exactly did you come to zhat conclusion?"

Bowser shrugged as he stared up at his writings. "Call it a hunch."

"Vell, your hunch vas evidently correct, if I should be tedious enough to state ze obvious." Ludwig approached his father and stood next to him, looking up at the whiteboard in front of them. A piece of paper was taped to the top of the board, neatly displaying the results of the simulation in eight short columns. All of them had a red X under their stats except for his, which was a green circle.

"I assume you saw zhe video footage of zhe test," Ludwig prompted. He wanted to selfishly feel a sense of pride at the fact that their dad knew that he was the only one who had passed, but concern for his siblings overruled any feelings of complacency.

Bowser nodded, gesturing to a large computer off to the side where the eight different scenes were playing on repeat.

"Obviously something's bugging you if you didn't run straight to your piano. What did you want?"

Ludwig opened his mouth but hesitated to respond. He honestly wasn't sure why this was bothering him so much. Perhaps looking at his siblings' reactions hadn't been the best idea… and why should he be so concerned with their failures, anyway?

It wasn't like this would come back to bite them later.

Bowser let out a sigh on seeing his son's uncertainty. "If they can't face their fears on their own, then they'll need the help of someone else if they want to beat 'em. Someone who has coped with their own fears before."

Ludwig glanced over in surprise, partially because his father knew what was bothering him, and partially because he didn't expect his initial advice to be so deep. "Vhat do you mean?"

Returning to his notes, Bowser began to explain. "Us Dragon-Koopas are as stubborn as we come. And despite what they think, they need your help to deal with this. I mean, they probably won't trust you much, but it can't be helped."

Despite himself, Ludwig let out a groan of annoyance. "Vhy must it be me? Vhy can it not be you? Zhey vould probably open up more to you zhan to me regarding zhis."

"Ludwig, do you really expect them to just waltz up to me and tell me what's going on? Especially when I get after you all for showing weakness in the first place. You're the closest thing they have to mental and emotional support."

The eldest had no response to that. As much as he hated to admit it, Bowser had a point. As the oldest, they looked up to him. They trusted him, as the confiding session the night before had proven quite well. If left unchecked, this could potentially break them. And couple all of that with the fact that he himself had actually passed the simulation while the rest of them hadn't… well, he was definitely the best candidate for the job.

"The main problem is they don't even realize what their fears are if they couldn't pass the simulation, which could cause big problems in the future if we don't deal with it. It keeps you distant from each other, and even your true selves. You've got a certain level of maturity and wisdom that lets you acknowledge and confront your fears. But you matured so early, and the others are still far behind your level of understanding."

"So, you vish for me to assist them in conquering zeir fears so zhat zey may mature as vell."

Bowser shrugged. "Somewhat. Point is: Unless you overcome your fears, or at least learn to face them, you won't get stronger, and you'll suffer more than you should if someone used them against you. They have to learn how to cope with them in case that ever happens." A sigh escaped his lips, and he glared bitterly at nothing. "Given the enemies we've fought, that wouldn't surprise me."

"But I didn't cope, eizzer. I simply acknowledged."

"Oh come on. I don't expect you all to get over this overnight. You're not even adults." Bowser stared down at his son. "Acknowledging is just the first step. Once you know, you can work towards overcoming it."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow at his dad. "Vhen did you start gaining visdom?"

"Can it, you. I'm smarter than I let on." Bowser's sudden guffaw jarred Ludwig's sombre attitude. "Have to be!"

"Vell, I suppose it cannot be helped if I'm ze only one capable… I suppose I'll start vith Lemmy undt go from zhere."

"Sounds like a plan. But, uh… you may wanna save Wendy for last. You know how she gets when she's… emotional."

"Solid advice." He let out an involuntary shudder. "I'd razzer deal vith a star powered plumber zhan vith zhat."

Bowser said nothing more, returning to his board and resuming his analysis. It gave Ludwig the opportunity to muse to himself as he exited the planning room and began to assess just what it was he should do.

 _I_ vould _like to speak vith Lemmy as soon as possible, seeing as he vould be ze easiest to confront, but I doubt rushing into a conversation vould be vise, undt I doubt he vould be in a proper state of mind so soon after ze simulation. Force vould not be vise here… I need to keep zhings as calm as possible to optimize my success. After all..._

 _Fear doesn't go avay overnight._

The entire rest of the day was quite… awkward, to say the least. Most of his siblings either straight out avoided each other or were cautiously courteous whenever they were forced to interact. And frankly, he didn't blame them. Getting shoved into your nightmares wasn't exactly the best way to start off a morning…

Unfortunately, if this kept up, it was going to make his 'mission' a bit more difficult to complete than he'd like.

He was the only one that stuck around during lunch, the rest of them grabbing their food and scuttling off, and even the gym and living room were devoid of any siblings from that point forward.

Of course, it gave him plenty of time to think – and distract himself from his own… ahem… simulated concerns – but the normally elusive silence was eerily unsettling. As selfish as it was, he was slightly annoyed that he was forced to waste such a quiet day on what appeared to be a wild goose chase. Sure, he was _planning_ to speak to Lemmy first, but at this point he would've taken any almost opportunity that had presented itself, just to get one of the confrontations over with. But Ludwig hadn't realized how easy it was for his siblings to disappear when they didn't want to be found. He managed to have brief interactions with Morton and Larry, but they were clearly nervous and came up with excuses to go on their way before he could attempt any meaningful conversation.

The only time the family finally assembled was when dinner rolled around, due to Bowser's insistence on having at least one meal together. Much like most of the day, it was unnervingly quiet, the only sounds being the clinks of cutlery – for those who bothered to use it at all – and the occasional cough or creak of a chair.

Bowser didn't seem the least bit perturbed over the silence, and he knew the minions were relieved for having an 'easy' day, but Ludwig's nerves were beginning to fray from the unusually still atmosphere. Chaos he was at least used to, especially during supper. He looked from one sibling to the next, and let out a sigh of resignation.

 _Suppose eet eez time for ze eldest brozzer to step up yet again…_

"…Vell."

The single, accented word seemed to command everyone's attention, a few of them jumping in surprise. They were clearly caught off guard that the one who always insisted on silence was the first one to break it.

He chose not to look at anyone directly, instead deciding that the candleholder that served as a centerpiece would maintain his attention for a few moments.

Even so, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bowser's mouth twitch as he tried to hide a smirk.

 _I swear eef you delegated zhis to me for your own amusement I vill assign Cloudy Skies to Boom Boom during ze next kidnapping excursion…_

"…eez everyvon prepared for ze tournament zhat vill be happening in just over two veeks time?"

He wasn't irked by the confused glances between the siblings, nor was he irked by the almost inaudible snort from his father. It was to be expected.

Cautiously, as if he was walking straight into a trap, Larry opened his mouth and responded accordingly, speaking slowly lest something somehow go wrong. "…tournament? What tournament?"

Of course they hadn't been paying attention. He'd been meticulously setting it up for months, making sure everything was ready, keeping the minions informed and up to date, and after going through intense emotional stress NOW they decide that it's worth their time to listen?

He let out another sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ze tournament I made sure you vere all informed about months ago so zhat you vould have time to prepare."

"You never told us anything, Ludwig," Wendy replied, utterly baffled.

Morton piped up in agreement. "Yeah, and she'd know for sure with how much she loves to win!" He glanced at Wendy, only to receive a glare from the female that prevented him from saying more.

"I think you're just making this up," Roy muttered, taking a large chomp out of a piece of bread.

"…No, I do remember you mentioning something along those lines," Iggy mumbled, staring down at his soup, "But from what I remember, you never gave us any details. And you never brought it up again, so I figured it was just conceptual."

"Vell, zhis is your two veek notice, zhen."

"So you're not even gonna tell us what it's about?" Larry whined.

"I made sure minions vere sent to inform you. Eet eez not my fault if your pitiful memories can't recall such important information."

The comment instantly sparked Roy's temper, and Ludwig flinched as he smacked a hand down on the table. "You just don't wanna tell us cuz you're hoping you're gonna win!"

Unfortunately, his little distraction was working a bit _too_ well. Not wanting to start a fight, Ludwig chose to be a bit more straightforward in his reply. "Nozzing to vin, brozzer. At least, not for us individually. But you'd know zhat if you were actually avare of vhat ze tournament vas all about. I'm especially surprised zhat you've forgotten about it, seeing as eet's your division." Despite the potentially insulting comment, his tone was mild, leaving no room for accusation, only confusion from the third eldest.

"Wait… my division?" He could see the gears turning in his head, but before either of them could continue to speak, the second youngest spoke up, excitement back in his voice.

"Come on, Morton!" Larry was on his feet in an instant, face lighting up with the prospect of having something to do. "The sooner we can find out what's going on, the sooner we can train to win!"

"Yeah! We're gonna take home the prize! We're gonna reach for the skies! We're gonna-" He continued to rant as the two of them raced from the room to find the nearest minion in the know.

"Wait for me!" Junior called, scuttling out after his brothers and leaving his food half-eaten.

"Well, if it's MY division, then I'VE got the advantage," Roy smirked, getting up and heading for a different exit, opposite the one the youngest trio had taken, "No sense in stickin' around here while they're out chasing their tails."

"Oh NO you don't, Roy!" Wendy barked, heels clicking as she followed him, "I'm not gonna risk losing just because Ludwig didn't specify what was going on!"

And then there were four. The rest of them sat in silence for a full minute before another chose to take his leave.

"Well, if everyone else is being excused, I've got things to take care of." Iggy pushed his chair back and made his way to the door, completely ignoring the commotion that could still be heard as Larry, Morton, and Junior competed to try to be the first to learn about the tournament.

Ludwig frowned at his brother's actions. He hadn't so much as glanced at Lemmy the entire time. The two of them almost always left together, even if Iggy was going to work on one of his projects. But, not wanting to call anything to attention at the moment, he filed the information away to use at a later time.

At least most of them seemed back to normal. Except…

"Lemmy? You okay, squirt? You've hardly eaten anything."

"Sorry… I'm… not hungry." Lemmy sighed, a hint of sadness in his voice. "…Dad, can you get Paloma to handle ice training tomorrow, please? I kinda just… wanna be alone right now."

Bowser didn't normally approve of the idea of the Koopalings shirking their training responsibilities, but this hadn't exactly been a normal day. "…I guess, just this once."

"Thanks." He shimmied to the floor from the too-high chair and walked out of the room, albeit a bit shakily. That's when it suddenly occurred to Ludwig that he hadn't seen Lemmy riding on his circus ball all day.

If the alarm bells had been loud before, they were deafening now. First he isolated himself –which he _never_ did when he was upset – then he didn't speak to Iggy or even so much as say farewell when he exited, then he didn't even touch his favourite Fruity Hamburger, then he wanted to skip ice training and be alone, and now he was going so far as to _walk_ to his room?

That tore it; Lemmy couldn't be left alone, not like this.

As much as he wanted to plan what he was going to say, give it a bit of time, it would be too risky to ignore it now. Lemmy could get better with time, sure, but he could also hold onto the problem and allow his emotions to consume him.

He said nothing to Bowser as he got up and left, knowing that he'd understand exactly what was going on. Sure enough, a hum of approval proved his hypothesis was spot on, and he didn't hesitate to follow after the smallest Koopaling.

The last thing Ludwig heard while he was within earshot of the dining room was:

"…well, I guess if they're not gonna finish their food, I shouldn't let all this meat go to waste!"

 **Bowser both lends to a serious atmosphere and also kills it dead I love it**

 **My apologies - I didn't mean to take so long to upload the second chapter! I knew it would be delayed a bit, but not by THIS much... hopefully the next chapter won't be delayed as long as this one was.**

 **Don't worry, Lemmy! Help is on the way! Brothers forever!**


	3. Chapter 3: Simple But Complicated

Thankfully, Lemmy was fairly predictable in his habits. If he wanted to be alone, he'd go to the one place where he would rarely ever be found under normal circumstances: His room.

Ludwig's knock yielded no response, but he was not deterred as he had received confirmation from a nearby Goomba that the smallest Koopaling had, in fact, retreated to his chambers. Why the Goomba had simply been wandering the halls instead of training was left to guesswork, but just this once, he would give the small minion a pass.

Ludwig looked up at the bright orange door with a yellow star painted on it, sticking out like a sore thumb against the bland stone walls and dark atmosphere. While the 'Bedroom Hall', as it had come to be called, had doors that matched the colours of their shells, only Lemmy's was decorated so simply. The others either had no decoration or were loaded with a plethora of detail – Junior's being a fine example of that. At the very least, it left out any need for memorization or guesswork.

Wendy would have a fit if they accidentally mistook her door for theirs on a regular basis.

With just a moment's hesitation to steel himself, Ludwig turned the handle and opened the door.

Instead of bright lights and colours that assaulted the eyes and a mess that made Ludwig cringe every time he so much as thought about it, the normally happy and cheerful bedroom was dark, almost foreboding, and seemed surprisingly… empty. Given how neat everything was, the eldest assumed that Lemmy had spent the day tidying up so as to avoid any social interactions. The lights were off, and the starry yellow wallpaper and orange carpet were doing nothing to brighten things up for once. His normally spilling over closet was shut tight, white doors covered in cheery pictures that either he himself or Junior had made. Lemmy's toys, circus gear, and bombs were put away neatly on shelves or on his yellow, blue, and orange dresser, and his collection of circus balls were stacked like apples in a corner.

…how he had managed to accomplish such a feat, Ludwig would never know.

Unlike the rest of the bedrooms – minus Wendy's – Lemmy's room wasn't lit up with torches. Instead, a set of three miniature spotlights hung from the centre of the room and normally served to light the place up, or act as spotlights if positioned correctly. There was also an ice blue lamp on a darker blue side table that sat next to his orange and yellow bed, which currently had a small lump under the covers. The side table had been a hand-me-down from when he himself was younger, and the second oldest had kept it ever since, despite the fact that it greatly juxtaposed the room's bright colours.

The lamp that sat atop it had always been the one feature of this room that had intrigued Ludwig. Not that he paid much attention, but he had never once heard the orange-shelled Koopaling ask for a lightbulb to replace it. It seemed to be made of ice, with small diamond-like glass rimming the shade and an intricate icicle design serving as the stand and the base. It didn't have a cord, either, which led Ludwig to believe that it must've been battery powered, but one would think that it wouldn't have lasted as long as it supposedly has. Lemmy had never told anyone when or where he had gotten it. One day, it was simply there, with no explanation given to any of them.

The bed lump shifted a bit and a tired voice spoke out. "Dad, I said I wanted to be left alone…"

"Vell, Koopa siblings aren't exactly good listeners, now are zhey?"

The lump shifted in surprise, and Lemmy popped his head out from under the blankets, blinking at him blearily. "…Ludwig? What are you doing here?"

There were many ways to go about this, but the oldest decided to simply be direct. No offence to him, but Lemmy didn't always understand subtle implications.

"I'm concerned for you, brozzer," he sighed, shutting the door behind him, "You haven't been your normal self today. Not zhat zhat isn't expected, given ze circumstances, but you're usually qvick to bounce back from negative zoughts." Dark eyes met light ones as Lemmy moved to sit up, idly fiddling with the corner of his blanket. "I had certainly expected you undt Iggy to stick close togezzer as you usually do in stressful situations, but today you two could not have been more distance."

The blankets shifted in a shrug and Lemmy rested his head back on the pillow, obscuring himself from view once more.

"I just… wanted to be alone today. And honestly?" He sighed. "…I think he wanted to be alone, too."

"Mm… yes, I got zhat vibe from him as vell… He did not even bring Chompella vith him to dinner as he usually does." Lemmy said nothing, so he took that as an invitation to stick around, sitting down on the edge of the bed and glancing at his old side table.

"…you know, I'm surprised you kept zhat old zhing. Ze drawer alvays sqveaked undt ze legs became uneven after a misaimed fireball… it's not like you even reqvired it in ze first place. We're not exactly struggling financially."

"I know, it's just…" The lump under the blankets didn't move as he spoke, but Ludwig could detect a faint trace of fondness in his immediate younger brother's voice, though a bit muffled from the covers. "Dad was always talking about how you'd be so busy once you took over. I mean, before Junior came along. And even with all your studies, you'd still take the time to talk to us if we came up to your room." Lemmy's hand went out and pressed against the old oak. "If you were working and one of us wanted to sit and watch, you'd pull up the side table and a chair and let us sit next to you. You always put down a white rag so we wouldn't get it dirty or scratched or coloured on. And we'd talk to you and you'd listen and give us advice. Sometimes if one of us got hurt and we were too scared or stubborn to go to King Dad or one of the medics, you'd sit us on the side table and patch us up – after you yelled at us for being so dumb, of course. It's where you kept your bandages, your biggest plans, your first conductor's baton…" A slight pause. "And it's where you kept all the pictures we made for you."

His sombre attitude was as much of a shock as his memory's skillful recollection. _I had forgotten about zhat…_

But Lemmy wasn't done yet. "Back then… well… we thought we wouldn't have much time to play with you because you were always so busy. I wanted it because I knew that even if we all separated when we were older, I'd still have the memories and something to remember you all by." His hand dropped, as if his arm didn't have the strength to keep it up anymore. "It's… scary, you know? We've been together, the eight of us, for so long… I dunno what would happen if any one of us took off."

It was a side of him that was so rare. This sad maturity that had suddenly presented itself reminded Ludwig that Lemmy was, in fact, just a year younger than he himself, that he was almost fully developed mentally and that he was more complicated than he ever let on to anyone, except maybe Iggy. "Zhat's… very deep, Lemmy. Zhank you for sharing zhis vith me. I had no idea it meant so much to you."

Lemmy let out an amused hum. "Yeah… and I know I'm not usually this… serious, but… it helps get my mind off of… you know…"

 _Vell, now or never._

Still, he allowed a brief silence to pass between the two of them. It wasn't often that any of the Koopalings were relaxed enough to express themselves so seriously. But he couldn't put off the nature of his visit forever. So, his tone gentle, he glanced over at the lump and spoke up again. "Perhaps zhis is ze last zhing you vant me to ask, but… vhat happened?"

There wasn't an answer at first, and Ludwig didn't know whether or not he should've been surprised. After all, Lemmy wasn't exactly his happy-go-lucky self at the moment. He was probably bracing himself to speak, seeing as he wasn't one to hide emotional burdens. Idly, Ludwig smiled to himself. He hadn't realized he'd had such a positive impact on his siblings to the point where one of them would want to keep an old piece of his furniture as memorabilia.

"You… you said you'd come back..."

He jumped, caught off guard. "I'm… sorry?"

Lemmy's voice cracked as he repeated his words, loud and tense, almost shouting but not quite as he sat up and stared at Ludwig with tears in his eyes. "You said you'd come back but you never did!"

 _B-but… he saw…!? How?!_

For a moment, the oldest was convinced that Lemmy was speaking of his simulation and guilt and panic struck him like lightning until logic began to override his worries.

 _Nein… zhat's impossible… ze data vas deleted… Lemmy left as soon as possible… undt zhere vas no vay for him to see vhat vas actually going on… I promised I vould not let go, nozzing about coming back…_

Refusing to allow his face to show undue concern, Ludwig tilted his head in what he hoped looked like confusion. "…Vhat do you mean, Lemmy?"

Lemmy took a deep breath to calm himself, though it didn't stop a few tears from dripping onto the sheets below.

"I-I think… it'd be easier if I just started from the beginning."

 _"_ _Lemmy, it's too dangerous. We'll come back, we promise."_

 _"_ _Are you sure, Iggy?"_

 _"_ _Promise."_

 _"_ _Ludwig? Y-you will, r-right?"_

 _"_ _I promise."_

 _So I huddled there, scared, and waited._

 _And waited._

 _And waited._

 _I don't know why you left. I don't know what the threat was. I didn't know how bad things were going to get. All I knew was that I had to stay behind._

 _Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out. I needed to find you, make sure you were all okay._

 _But I couldn't get out. I was trapped in that little stone safe room, locked in, and I couldn't escape. I yelled for someone, anyone to come, but no one ever did._

 _All I could do was wait for you to come back._

 _Wait for you to keep a promise that was already broken._

"…and no matter where I went, no matter where I looked… there was no way out. No way to get in. All I had with me was a little radio on a desk… it played music for a little bit, and then switched to the news… news that kept telling me how you had all moved on with your lives… while I had been…" He hiccupped. "…L-left behind. You never even mentioned me. Whenever they asked about me… you would pause and go… who?" He looked down at his hands at let out a shaky breath, trying to fight a second round of tears. "It… really hurt me."

After taking a moment to digest the surprisingly short account – although to be fair, the simulations hadn't even gone on for ten minutes, and his had been multiple things in rapid succession as opposed to a single scene, so who knows how long he had sat there waiting – Ludwig went over and put a hand on his brother's shoulder to comfort him. He watched a smile flicker for the briefest of moments in thanks, but then it was right back to the misery.

 _But zhat doesn't add up… Lemmy has confidence in us, at times, more zhan ve do in ourselves._ This train of thought then reached a rather strange conclusion and voiced his musings to the orange-shelled Koopaling.

"Eet's strange… I considered Larry to be the one that would fear being forgotten."

Lemmy regarded him with confusion, his dejected attitude momentarily fading. "Being forgotten? Don't you mean being left behind?"

"Not exactly. If you had been purposely left behind, ve vould have acknowledged your presence. Certaintly Ignatius vould not purposely leave you behind, none of us vould. Ve vould stop at nozzing to reach you. Besides, if you had been left behind due to injury, ve vould have made sure a medic vas at hand. You are a capable Koopaling." Ludwig gestured back to the side table. "It's as you yourself said: you do not know vhat vould happen if any one of us took off. In essence, if any von of us forgot about ze ozzers."

"So… Being forgotten."

"Mm."

"…I dunno if that's better or worse." He let out a small chuckle despite himself. Talking through his fear seemed to have calmed him down, at least. "I think I'm pretty hard to forget, but it does make sense… I mean, compared to you guys, what have I really done?"

"Zhat's not vhat I meant."

"Well, yeah, but think about it." Lemmy rested his head on his knees, folding his arms in front of his muzzle and tiredly looking off to the side as he listed everyone's accomplishments. "You've got dozens of songs, Roy's got strength, Iggy's got all his inventions, Wendy has her designs, Morton has his books, Junior's got his art, even Larry's got that game he's made, and what have I done?" Lemmy waved his hand in disdain. "Made a little circus act that no one's gonna remember anyway." He sighed. "And I mean, you guys could go big with your talents and take off… and where does that leave me? No one visits the circus anymore… If you all did leave, would you even think about me?"

"I… am unsure," Ludwig admitted, "But vhat I am sure of is zhat even if ve may become busy, ve vill never forget about you. Undt zhat is vhy I'm here – to assist you undt prove zhat to be true."

That got his attention, head rising slightly as he asked what was only natural: "How are you gonna do that?"

"I have an idea in mind, should it receive your consensus. It may seem intimidating, but it should prove to assist in overcoming at least some of ze fear."

Lemmy's face lit up like a bulb fruit, and he was finally starting to look like his old self. "I think we should do it."

"Very vell." Ludwig stood up and made to leave. "Meet me in ze secondary gym by ze entrance tomorrow morning."

"Ok. And… Luddy?"

Just this once, he'd let the nickname slide. "Yes?"

His little brother's smile was the best reassurance he could've gotten that he was going to be okay now. "Thanks. I mean it."

"No problem at all. It's vhat I'm here for."

With that, he left to begin his plan.

 **So as you can see, the format for this series will be that each character's confrontation will be divided into two parts. The actual confrontation and reassurance, and then Ludwig acting to help his siblings overcome their fears. Some of these parts will overlap with others, and some will span multiple days.**

 **I get that Lemmy's recount of the simulation came off very short. It would be much longer if you were viewing it from his personal perspective, as you'd be getting his personal thoughts and more specific details on the scene. It's also important to remember that the simulations didn't even last ten minutes. Some are going to be shorter because nothing is happening until a certain point.**

 **Honestly though? I feel as though the development leading up to the recount is better than the recount itself! XD I really like the whole 'side table' thing. I also feel like Lemmy is much smarter than he lets on and has incredible confidence in his siblings despite how much they may insult him. While he may act childish and have a few quirks, he's in no hurry to grow up, but can be serious when it's required of him, though it's rare for him to be this sombre. I hope he didn't come off too out of character because of that... he'll be 'back to normal' in the next scene. ^^**

 **Though... you won't really see much of him... you'll see what I mean! 3 hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 4: Interrupted Experiment

"Are you ready?"

"No… I-I'm scared, Ludwig."

"Zhat's to be expected. And zhis may not be ze best vay to handle zhis, but it's ze most subtle."

"C-can I bring my circus ball with me…?"

The eldest allowed a sympathetic smile to dance across his face, if only for a second. "…If you so vish."

With a nervous gulp, Lemmy slowly lowered himself into the giant metal box that was situated in the middle of the room. How Iggy had managed to have this thing stored away under the secondary gym, and what use it served, he would never know, but it seemed to be exactly what he needed for this scenario. Passing the circus ball through the top, Ludwig couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty. He hadn't built the strange box himself – even if after inspection it only seemed to be an empty shell, there was no guarantee that there wasn't some hidden function that he was unaware of. Iggy had assured him that it was harmless, especially after learning that Lemmy would be using it, but without full control there was always the possibility that something could go wrong.

Something he wouldn't be able to have control over.

Ludwig snarled internally, grip on the box's small lid tightening ever so slightly. _Zhat vord again…_ He was starting to notice just how frequently it came up in his daily life, much to his annoyance…

"H-how long is it going to be?" Lemmy's quiet voice shook him from his thoughts, to which he was silently grateful.

"Only an hour," Ludwig reassured him from above, "You'll be able to breathe fine as vell, so do not concern yourself vith zhat."

"Well I wasn't until you _mentioned_ it!" Lemmy spat, a rare hint of irritation in his voice, probably from the sheer stress of the experiment. He couldn't really blame the smallest Koopaling; not everyone thrived in such a dark, lonely atmosphere. "J-just… don't forget to let me out… please don't forget about me…"

"I vill not, Lemmy. Zhat is vhat zhis exercise is going to prove."

The second-oldest took a deep breath to try and calm his anxiety, to no avail.

"You vill be fine. I vill be here. I promise."

"…okay."

That was the last thing Lemmy heard before the hatch at the top of the metal crate clicked shut and Ludwig attached the lock.

The last thing Ludwig saw before he did so was the look of uncertainty and doubt in Lemmy's eyes, despite his vocal acceptance.

Silently – and briefly hoping that this was the right thing to do – the oldest brother jumped down and got himself comfortable in a nearby chair, pulling out a book and getting himself settled for the hour long wait.

Before delving into his reading, he set an alarm to alert him of when the hour was up. All Lemmy would need was for him to get too absorbed in his reading material for him to notice the time.

The experiment consisted of Lemmy trusting Ludwig to still be in the room. Once the timer went off, Ludwig would open the crate, and prove to Lemmy that he wasn't about to be forgotten so easily. It was a simple, short experiment, and while it would probably be rather dull for the orange-shelled Koopaling after a while, a little bit of boredom never hurt anyone. Plus… it gave Ludwig a chance to catch up on his personal studies. It was foolproof. Minus the whole 'what does the box do' situation, he had full control. And the best part was there was no way anything could interfere.

Or so he thought.

Ludwig was halfway through his book and about twenty minutes into the hour, thoroughly invested in his reading material. Suddenly, an alarm blared to life overhead, causing the eldest to drop his book and Lemmy to let out a shriek of terror. It wasn't the timer he'd set, and it definitely wasn't a good sound.

Not like alarms are known to be positive, in all fairness.

"Wh-what's going on?!"

Despite his desire to not interfere with the exercise, Ludwig knew it wouldn't be fair to simply leave the Koopaling in the dark… figuratively, at least.

"…Ze attack alarm. Zhere seems to be an attempted charge on ze castle, Lemmy. Stay here."

"I don't have a choice!" He could hear the panic rising in his voice. "And- and you'll come back, right?! You won't forget about me?!"

He shook his head, not that Lemmy could see it. "As I said before, I von't. I promise." And off he went, rushing towards the entrance, leaving his brother behind. He didn't exactly _want_ to leave Lemmy behind, but perhaps this would result in the experiment becoming even more successful, and he'd stay safe if the attack became too intense. He was grateful he had picked a location so close to the front, at least. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything too severe…

The eldest glanced out a nearby window near the castle's entrance and cringed internally. 'Severe' was an understatement. It seemed as though there was a chain chomp migration heading straight for the castle – their normal route must've experienced a landslide for them to have to detour so far, with rocks too large for them to simply smash through.

"Ze timing on zhis could NOT be worse…" Sure, Iggy was the chain chomp expert, but Lemmy's endless supply of circus balls – and the chain chomps instinctive desire to chase brightly coloured objects – easily turned a six-hour excursion into nothing less than a half-hour throwing competition. And based on their speed, he wasn't exactly going to have a lot of time to run back to get his immediate younger brother to help.

This was going to be a problem.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Despite probably being the closest, Ludwig was the last one to get to the front of the castle, the rest of them impatiently waiting for the one Koopaling that wouldn't be attending the emergency meet up today. Ludwig ran through the best way to handle this while still maintaining Lemmy's dignity, knowing that he wouldn't exactly have a lot of time to explain his absence.

True to his hypothesis, Larry seemed eager to get this show on the road as the colourful group caught sight of the eldest hurrying over to them, eyes scanning behind him for their final missing brother. "Where's Lemmy?" he called, bouncing from one foot to the other, tennis racket in hand, "I've been waiting to practice my new serve on these guys!"

Ludwig sighed, deciding that vagueness and dismissal would be his best option in this predicament. "He's… occupied at ze moment. Ve vill have to do zhis ze hard way."

At this, the group let out a collective groan, faces filling with annoyance and anger. Their father raised an eyebrow at the unexpected turn of events, but said nothing.

"Ugh, of COURSE he picks NOW to go off and be useless," Wendy snarled, dropping her claw file and reluctantly getting to her feet. "I mean, he's normally useless anyway, but leave it to him to ditch us when we actually NEED him for once."

Bowser didn't acknowledge his daughter's snide remark, having a sneaking suspicion as to why the second oldest was mysteriously absent, and Ludwig simply rolled his eyes and chose not to make things more uncomfortable for Lemmy than they were going to be later. The Koopa King cleared his throat and commanded everyone's attention. "Alright then, I know we don't usually do this, but we're gonna have to shell barricade Darkville until the pack moves on."

As the younger Koopalings grumbled, a large mass of Koopa Troopas with mostly green shells gathered at the ready – always assembled during these emergencies in case the ball chase method proved ineffective – spreading around in a large arc to protect the small castle town where most minion family members resided, just a few yards in front of the castle itself. They formed a wall about six Koopas high, and each of them retracted their heads, tails and arms into their shells, but left their legs out in order to give added height and properly angle their shells towards the incoming pack. In case the barricade failed, the townsfolk had been evacuated to the castle itself, but Bowser wasn't about to just stand by and let a botched migration route interfere with their homes, regardless of whether or not they were currently occupied. As the rumble of the first of the Chain Chomps met their ears, Bowser was quick to delegate assignments.

"Iggy, you're on scouting duty. Use Chompella to challenge and chase any stragglers if you have to."

The tallest was a bit sleep-deprived and distracted from the looks of it, but seemed ready to go regardless. "Heheh… you got it, King Dad! Ready, girl?"

"BARK!" Chompella bounded happily next to her owner, tongue lolling out lazily. "BARK BARK!"

With a shake of his head, Bowser continued his instructions. "Junior, Wendy, Larry, you're on wall support. If a part is giving way and you're spread too thin, you yell at me and I'll send back-up."

"On it, Papa!"

"If I HAVE to."

"We'll do our best!"

"Morton, you're going head-on. Take your hammer and start whacking as many as you can off to your left." This earned an eager smirk from the chatterbox. "The lava river's low enough there that their young should be able to swim no problem."

"This is gonna be fun!" he crowed.

"Roy, Ludwig, you two head farther out and try to get the second wave to move to where the pack's scouts will be redirected. If all goes well, we should only have to deal with the first fifty or so chain chomps and not a whole migration trying to level the castle."

Roy nodded and turned to leave, fully expecting the older to follow him.

"…are… uh… you sure zhat zhat's a good idea?"

It was a soft-spoken question, but it seemed to silence the entire group long enough for Ludwig to feel self-conscious about asking something so ridiculous.

"…uh… yeah. We've done this before." Too taken aback to be mad, Bowser stared at his oldest son with incredulity. "You got a better idea?"

"Vell… no… but perhaps electricity vould be more useful to redirect zhem in a more thorough manner. More force may move ze second collection of chomps sooner."

"What are you talking about, Ludwig?" Iggy seemed to be amused at his sudden timidity, a smug look in his eyes. "Have you forgotten the amount of conductive rock in the soil we're standing on? You just wanna watch us all fry, don't you?"

Startled, the dark blue-shelled Koopaling held up his hands in defence. "O-Of course not, I-"

Wendy chimed in, annoyed. "Plus, like, even if we wanted to hit multiple chomps, we can't. Morton may be a good swinger, but he can only hit one at a time."

"Vell, yes, but-"

"And you're the one who came up with this method in the first place, right?" Larry added, "So why do you wanna change it? It's worked fine in the past…"

"…" If there's one thing Ludwig hated, it was feeling like an idiot. And with the amount of looks he was currently getting, even from some of the scouting Koopas, he certainly wasn't looking like a genius at the moment. So, despite his sudden reservations, he sighed and shook his head.

"…never mind. It's fine. Don't vorry about it." Not waiting for a response, and refusing to acknowledge the confused glances of his siblings, he jumped the Koopa barricade and headed off to a hill not far from their position to scout out the incoming chain chomps. As he left, he too was struck with confusion at his sudden, unexpected hesitation.

 _…_ _vhat vas ZHAT?! Zhat has never happened before… vhy am I so nervous about zhis? Ze plan vill be fine… Perhaps it's simply concern for Lemmy's vellbeing…? Ugh… let's hope. I have enough on my plate as is._

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The strange feeling of unease that had settled over Ludwig when he had gotten his assignment only grew as he reached the top of the hill, Roy approaching from behind with an easygoing and partially bored gait. He regarded Ludwig with a slight nod as he went up beside him to stare down the incoming migration.

"You ready, Luddy?"

"Don't call me zhat." Arms folded, the oldest scanned the horizon from their vantage point, a few chain chomps rushing past their perch. The ground was a dead brown, almost charred black, the few trees long dead but still somehow standing, and the sky above a lighter grey than usual while still thick with clouds. While it would seem foreboding and unwelcoming to most, it was their home. The scent of charcoal hit his nostrils and the faint rumbling of the chain chomps could be heard over the barren plains and hills.

Normally, despite being such an indoor Koopaling, it would relax him immensely and help him take his mind off his worries.

Today, that couldn't be further from the truth.

Today, it reminded him of just how truly _alone_ he was out here.

 _How if something bad happened to him, no one would be the wiser._

The dark thought was instantly shaken from his head, and he allowed his emotions to shut down. All he needed was to get shaken up and hesitate with Koopa homes on the line.

Roy pulled out his bill blaster and grinned. "Well, it's no throwing contest, but I guess it'll do." He was in a good mood for once, presumably from the opportunity to finally get some battle time in after weeks of boredom and repetitive training.

That mood that certainly wasn't being reciprocated by the oldest, for Ludwig ignored him, brandishing a large table tennis racket that sparked with electricity.

"You look like a moron with that thing," Roy remarked, with a bit of a good-natured mockery in his voice.

"I don't particularly care vhat you think," Ludwig spat in return, hostility spiking unexpectedly and causing the younger Koopaling to do a double-take. "It's been tested and proven effective. Your inconsequential opinions vill not change zhat."

"Alright, alright, sheesh. Cool your jets, maestro. I was just telling it like it is." Ludwig could just _hear_ Roy's eyes rolling behind his sunglasses. "Miserable, much."

The oldest glared at Roy as he charged forward to lead the assault. His dark look remained until the purple shell was out of sight, behind another hill, and he blinked in surprise, eyes going down to his empty hand.

"I've… never been so hostile before…" he muttered to himself, "Not even to zhat arrogant buffoon…"

 _Perhaps… somezing is wrong…?_

Despite his concerns and better judgement, he shook off the thought. It was just the stress of everything. It was just because he was concerned about Lemmy. It was just because Roy had called him 'Luddy' again.

There was nothing to worry about.

 _Focus._

Ludwig took off after his younger brother, electrified paddle in hand. The plan was simple: Roy would scare the first few into darting towards their left, around the barricades, and any stragglers that wanted to brave the explosions would be knocked away by Ludwig's paddle and stunned, hopefully confusing their sense of direction and making them change their path to follow the scouts that Morton would be 'gently' redirecting.

His previous concerns disappeared from his mind as he focused on protecting their home and the homes of the minions' families. He had to do his best to keep everyone safe.

The smell of burning metal struck his nostrils as he made his first contact against a chain chomp that couldn't have been much bigger than Chompella. A sharp yelp echoed through the field as the chain chomp went spinning off to his left, chain rattling and wrapping around it. The dog-like enemy then shook its head to clear it, looked around in confusion, before pinpointing on the smell of the redirected scouts and continuing on, away from the castle, as if nothing had happened.

 _Good. It's vorking, as expected._

The next three strikes yielded identical results, and Ludwig could see the incoming pack beginning to shift directions. Which again lead him to start wondering why in the world he'd been so concerned with this task in the first place.

 _It doesn't make sense… it cannot have anything to do with lack of control; I mean, zhis is a textbook redirection. So vhat-_

An explosion jarred him slightly, having gotten too close to the 'blast zone', as the third eldest so eloquently referred to it as.

"Yeah!" Said Koopaling cheered as a particularly large chain chomp was thrown over a hill from the impact. "Who wants more?!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. _Ignoramus… you're supposed to SCARE them. Not BLOW THEM UP._

And so they continued on, slowly moving forward to meet the chain chomps. Ludwig allowed his mind to drift slightly. _So if Lemmy doesn't get claustrophobia from zhis, I suppose I could consider it a success… not to be cruel, but it_ IS _a bit inconvenient zhat he had to have such a ridiculous fear vith how much trust he has in ze rest of us… zough I suppose I am von to talk. I vish I'd zought of anozzer vay to assist him… one zhat didn't involve me stuck out here vith ROY, of all Koopas… hopefully he doesn't make zhings worse, as he usually does…_ He frowned. _Perhaps I am being too harsh on zhem. Zhey ARE my brozzers, zhey vould never do anyzing to purposely make zhings difficult…_

He shook his head and did his best to refocus on his assignment, whacking chain chomps and keeping his unusual concerns at bay as they were startled towards him. Yet another blast, more barking, and-

"HEADS UP!"

Ludwig suddenly jerked back as a small chain chomp sailed left just in front of him, nearly hitting him as it flew past. Its mouth was wide open, teeth dangerously close to his face, as it lunged past, chain waving wildly. He was forced to duck to avoid getting struck. Off to the side, he could hear the snickering of the only other Koopa around.

Something inside him snapped, and he spun on his brother, full of rage and incredulity.

"VHAT VAS ZHAT?!"

Roy's humorous demeanor evaporated and he was completely taken aback, nearly dropping his bill blaster at the oldest's sudden change in attitude. "What?"

Ludwig snarled. As if he didn't know. "You just LAUNCHED a chain chomp at me!"

"Wha- no I didn't! Why would I do that?"

"You tell me!"

Too baffled to be angry by this point, Roy pointed off to the chain chomp, which was sniffing the ground intently, chain wagging in excitement. When it finally turned around and bounded off after the group, Ludwig noticed the white appendage dangling from its mouth.

"There was a BONE." Bitterness began to set in, and Roy laughed humourlessly – a dark, empty sound that made the eldest flinch. "Okay, I may not be as 'perfect' or as 'genius' as you think you are, but I'm not so stupid that I'd throw a wild chain chomp into my own BROTHER."

 _Could've fooled me._

Anger subsided as the thought popped into his mind, and a brief feeling of concern ran through him, amplified as theories about his previous strange behavioural patterns hit him.

 _…_ _Vhy am I zhinking zese zhings? Zhis isn't like me… Roy vould never do zhat._

 _…_ _right?_

He shook his head to clear it, going to stand at Roy's side once more to assist with any stragglers within the next barrage of chain chomps, doing his best to ignore how his younger brother's shoulders were slightly shaking with restrained rage. "You're… correct. My apologies."

His shoulders still themselves, but he still refused to look at the oldest. " ."

They didn't breathe a word to each other for the rest of the excursion.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The migration was soon fully redirected thanks to the group's efforts, and they watched from afar as the chain chomps swam through the shallow part of the lava river that was flowing into the castle's moat. Their barks echoed in various pitches and tones, not unlike a natural symphony. Strange analogy, but hey, he _was_ a musician, after all. On getting back to the rest of the group, Ludwig noticed that a few Koopas seemed a little worse for wear, and Morton was lying on his shell in exhaustion, Chompella panting nearby. For the most part, though, everyone seemed to be alright.

 _Good. Now hopefully the same can be said for Lemmy… and hopefully I didn't break him... I have enough to deal vith as it is…_

"Good job, everyone," Bowser commended them, a look of pride on his face, "Morton and Iggy, you two stick around for a bit with some Koopas - make sure there aren't any more chain chomps coming or the migration doesn't suddenly backtrack. The rest of you can head back inside if you want."

"Ughhh. Finally!" Wendy scowled at her nails. "Remind me to give Lemmy a piece of my mind when I see him next."

"Eh, it wasn't so bad," Larry shrugged, trying to lighten the mood, "I mean, could've been better, but at least it was small, right?"

Ludwig stood off to the side, close to their father, watching his siblings chat amongst themselves.

"Lemmy's 'absence' wouldn't have anything to do with yesterday, would it?"

Ludwig said nothing.

"Thought so. Guess I can't blame him. The kid doesn't exactly have the toughest shell, but he'll bounce back. Always does."

"Zhat's vhat I hope, fazzer. It's… difficult to explain vithout causing him embarrassment or overvhelming him." He felt a pat on his shoulder, and looked up to see his father's approving eyes, though the rest of his face was surprisingly devoid of emotion.

"I'm sure whatever it is you're doing, it'll work – least a little bit, anyway."

"Hey, Roy!" Junior's exclamation caused him to glance over at the youngest, who was rushing to catch up with the hothead with a grin on his face. "That new game finally came in! Did you wanna-"

"Not now, squirt."

The cold, harsh snap sent a brief chill of unease down the eldest's shell. Unease was replaced with annoyance and irritation as Junior's face instantly shifted from hopeful to dejection.

"Oh… okay."

He would've called him out on it, but there were more important things to concern himself with at the moment.

"If you'll excuse me, Fazzer, I have an experiment to complete."

Bowser nodded, anything he could've said lost as Larry and Wendy instantly crowded him for attention the moment Ludwig began to head for the castle.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Lemmy, my apologies, it vas a Chain Chomp migration. I did not expect such a lengthy interruption… though I do varn you, ze ozzers veren't too pleased at your absence. I presume zhey vill be looking for you for an explanation."

Ludwig didn't look up at first, too occupied with digging the key out of his hammerspace. The lack of a reply confused him, and the silence wasn't exactly welcoming. So, naturally, he glanced up, mouth open to inquire as to the smallest Koopaling's wellbeing.

No sound passed through his lips.

The gym was exactly as he had found it that morning: sports equipment stacked neatly against the side of the wall, a small clock ticking dutifully from above the door, the floors polished and clean, free from any unnecessary clutter. The room was empty.

…Allow me to repeat that for emphasis. Throw some italics in there too in case it wasn't obvious enough.

 _The room was empty._

The crate was gone. But where? How? Who? Ludwig's nerves shot through the roof as dozens of possibilities raced through his head. Lemmy would certainly think that he was abandoned, of that he had no doubt. If anything, this would only serve to leave the Koopaling broken and completely devoid of trust. Any attempts to assist and repair would not only be undone, but it would be virtually impossible to try to convince Lemmy to repeat the exercise.

With a hiss, Ludwig spun on his tail and bolted – shoving the keys back into the safety of his shell lest he lose them, now wouldn't THAT help his situation… – in hopes of finding someone who may have been around to see what had happened to the crate. He never should've left his younger brother alone. He should've at least assigned _someone_ to guard the gym to prevent it from being taken. His theories became darker the further away he got from the gym. What if there was a ne'er-do-well sneaking about that had seen the opportunity and had pounced on it, hoping to use the prince for some easy coin? What if it had imploded in on itself due to Iggy's forgetting a vital component of the crate? What if toads had broken into the castle and had abducted Lemmy to hold him for ransom, only promising to release him if Bowser surrendered for good?!

…Ok, the last one was utterly ridiculous and he knew it, but he wasn't exactly feeling very rational at the moment.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even slow down when he rounded a typically busy corner and crashed right into the shell of another Koopa, the impact sending both of them hurtling to the floor.

"OW!"

"OOF!"

The minion had managed to somersault forwards from the impact, stuck spinning dazedly on his shell, while Ludwig ended up flat on his face, a look of irritation settling there for the briefest of moments. This didn't last, as his concern overshadowed any anger he may have felt towards the minion.

Besides, the collision _was_ kinda his fault.

"…my apologies."

"Whoa… that was intense…"

Getting to his feet and glancing at the owner of the voice, Ludwig realized that he hadn't hit a regular Koopa, but rather a Boomerang Bro, who was currently using said boomerang to prop himself up so that he could right himself. Within seconds, the Boomerang Bro was standing straight and had turned to Ludwig with an easygoing grin.

"Hey, no worries, dude. I mean, bound to happen once in a while!"

Now, normally the minions gained a formal air when they were around a member of the royal family, both out of fear and respect (mostly the former), but even after seeing the look recognition in the Boomerang Bro's eyes come and go, he was still as chill as ever, lazily taking his time to process what could be going on.

Even with his darker coloured shell, the prince faintly wondered if he was actually an Ice Bro and the boomerang belonged to someone else.

"…You in a rush or something?"

"Actually, yes. Perhaps you may be able to assist me…?"

"Jet, Prince Ludwig, and sure, whatever ya need, I guess." Thankfully, the minions weren't bothered by the fact that they didn't know most of their names, and this one was certainly no exception. After all, the numbers were so large that meet and greets were only bound to get so many introductions in.

He nodded his thanks. "Jet. Have you happened to see a large steel crate anyvhere around here? It vas in ze secondary eastern gym, near ze entrance. It's qvite imperative zhat I locate it."

Jet seemed relieved that that's all that was required for him, and he jerked a thumb down the hallway he had been coming from before crashing into Ludwig. "Sure. Think I saw Tiny lugging something like that earlier with Lakibolt and Blurr and some others heading towards the training courtyards. Said something about a 'good box for Tiny to try and break open'. Strength training, I guess."

Given his division, he recognized the latter two names instantly and felt as if a weight had been lifted. "Excellent. Carry on."

Jet didn't argue with him, heading off to presumably either train or slack. Probably the latter. "No prob, Prince Ludwig. Glad I could help!" He returned to his slow stroll. "Now if _I_ could only find Paloma… how many libraries does this castle even need…?"

Ignoring the minion, Ludwig continued his search at a more reasonable pace. Now that he knew that Lemmy was still on castle grounds, and with minions that he was more familiar with, the biggest concern now was making sure Lemmy didn't absolutely hate him for 'ditching' him.

But this was Lemmy he was talking about… he wouldn't hate him.

He'd just be emotionally scarred for life. No worries.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Man this crate is _tough_! Where'd you guys find it again?"

"It was just sitting in one of the gyms, see? I figured it'd be a good challenge."

"Tiny hasn't even made a DENT in this thing, yo!"

"I don't like this idea."

"Trust me, neither do I."

"Look, do you guys want to be part of a battle troupe or not?"

"King Bowser isn't even making a battle troupe."

"Well I'm just _saying_ we could be a great team of challengers one day! But we _won't_ if the strongest one of us can't even open a tin can!"

"…"

"Don't give me that look, Blockhead, I know what I'm doing."

Fierce heat was the most evident factor when exiting the castle, but for the inhabitants, it was hardly noticeable. Much less for a dragon-koopa, which is why the drastic increase in temperature didn't faze the eldest prince as he made his way towards one of the open air training arenas. The large crate was visible even from the exit he had taken, though mostly because the castle was so much higher up compared to the training arenas. The aforementioned conversation is what met his ears as he passed through a dark hallway to reach his destination, the bleachers above his head most likely devoid of any spectators. If they weren't frantic about it, obviously Lemmy hadn't been panicking, though silent terror was definitely not being ruled out.

There was a small gaggle of minions that had his back to him on his approach, discussing amongst themselves. The largest of the bunch, presumably 'Tiny', was an Undergrunt that was currently attempting to get a grip on the crate in hopes of splitting it open. A fruitless endeavor, as it seemed that not even a scratch had been made on the exterior. The fact allayed Ludwig's fears to no end – if that were the case, the contents were hopefully unharmed as well.

Behind the Undergrunt were two minions he recognized instantly – Blurr and Lakibolt – the former a red Paratroopa with a red mail identification band around his arm, and the latter a Lakitu with sunglasses, slicked back hair, and a gold chain around his neck with the letters LB etched into them. Lakibolt was related to Lakithunder – his uncle, if he wasn't mistaken – a massive Lakitu with a dark grey cloud. Matching his uncle, Lakibolt's cloud was a lighter shade of grey instead of the typical white, and didn't disappear if someone else used it for an extended period of time.

Apparently he called it Jeff.

With them were others he was unfamiliar with on a colloquial level but could identify them nonetheless if required to. The first was a Ninji dressed in a darker pink with a heart pin behind her right ear. Next to her was a pink Piranha Plant with white speckles instead of larger white spots. To their left, a large Whomp stood idle, watching the Undergrunt struggle. And finally, to the right, was a Fire Bro who looked far less than impressed with the whole scenario, if his folded arms and shaking head was any sort of indication.

Finally, as the gap closed between himself and the random assortment of minions, Tiny stepped back, allowing his arms to fall to his sides in defeat.

"Can't break it, huh, bro?" The Lakitu knocked on the box after the Undergrunt collapsed to the floor in response, panting heavily from exhaustion.

"He's been at that for _hours_ ," The Ninji murmured. Lakibolt nodded.

"Man… What is this stuff even _made_ of?"

"Reinforced Inconel vith a titanium nitride coating."

The group, minus the Undergrunt, jumped simultaneously and whipped around to see Ludwig's unimpressed expression. He was a bit surprised that the Piranha Plant hadn't smelled him coming, but perhaps that was for the best.

"Y-yo, Ludwig! My man! Boss! Boss man!" Lakibolt grinned widely to hide his nervousness. "What… uh… whatcha doin'?"

"Vatching my minions completely vaste zheir time on trivial matters vhen zhey SHOULD be training to defeat Mario."

"B-but, uh, we ARE training! Tiny here-"

"Has taken somezhing zhat I vas in ze middle of using and vould like back, zhank you very much."

"…oh."

He heard a smack, and glanced over to see Blurr rubbing his arm as his assailant barred her teeth in annoyance. "I told you that you should've left the crate where you found it!" Hissed the Piranha Plant.

He decided to allow bygones to be bygones. How could they have possibly known what the box was there for? "I suppose zhat, so long as I am able to retrieve ze contents, zhis little 'episode' can go unaired." Ludwig moved towards them, arms folded behind his shell. "But I expect somezing like zhis to NOT happen again. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Prince Ludwig." Came the unanimous response. Tiny and the Whomp simply grunted their agreement.

The group split apart to allow him to pass, and he made sure to glare at each and every one of them before reaching out to begin his ascent to the small lock that kept his brother contained. Surely he was safe.

But it suddenly occurred to Ludwig that, as he felt the intense heat radiating from the metal, it was entirely possible that Lemmy was completely roasted inside. With a renewed sense of urgency, he ignored the burning sensation and clamoured up to the top, helped by a well-timed flutter jump and sheer desperation. The key was in his hand before he could even get to the lock, and he tore the hatch open, slightly fearful of what would be inside.

"…Lemmy?" Despite the heat, the air inside the crate was actually fairly cool, and Ludwig felt immense relief as his eyes landed on the bright orange shell, moving slowly with every breath. Naturally, he was still wary of having broken his brother's trust. After all, Lemmy hadn't acknowledged his presence, instead simply sitting there, looking away and remaining curled up in the corner. He was clearly terrified if his frightful snoring was any-

 _Vait… snoring?_

Sure enough, instead of the quiet sobs he'd been expecting, Lemmy had gone and fallen asleep, hugging his circus ball as most anyone else would a teddy bear. His face wasn't tense or fearful, but that could just be his muscles having relaxed from how long he'd been waiting. Without any further hesitation, Ludwig jumped inside, scooped up his younger brother, and flutter-jumped back out, landing on the dusty ground with a second hop. The looks of utter bafflement on the minions' faces simply further confirmed that they'd been oblivious to his presence inside the crate.

The Fire Bro was the first to react, shock turning to unease in an instant. "Wait, why was Prince Lemmy in there?!"

"It vas an experiment."

The Ninji tilted her head as the rest of them exchanged confused glances. "Experiment? For what?"

His scowl killed any curiosity they may have had. "Zhat eez none of your concern. Regardless, you are now free to do vhat you vish vith ze crate, so long as you receive permission from Ignatius beforehand."

Instantly the group backed off, confusion switching to panic. It didn't surprise him – for all any of them knew the metal box could _still_ implode in on itself without warning. But it wasn't his problem anymore. If they wanted to take things without permission, they'd have to suffer the consequences for it.

 _Huh. How ironic._

He ignored the minions' horrified expressions at having one of IGGY'S inventions in their midst and made his way back to the castle. He knew he probably should've given them a bit of a roasting for causing him so much grief, but there were more important things to attend to, and he decided, just this once, to give the group a pass.

That being said, there was an intense training session coming up, and he was sure Blurr and Lakibolt would _love_ to volunteer for demonstrations.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

The two of them were nearly to Lemmy's room when the smaller yawned and blearily blinked awake.

"…Ludwig?"

His eyes shot to his immediate younger brother's. Ludwig's mouth starting moving a mile a minute, panic in his voice as he feared the worst. "Lemmy I am SO sorry, zhere vas a chain chomp migration and zhen some minions took ze crate-"

"Ludwig!" He cut him off and let out another yawn. "It's okay. I was really scared when you left, but then I thought about what you told me yesterday. That you'd never forget about me." Lemmy grinned reassuringly. "And you proved it before by checking up on me when I was really sad. So I knew that even if I got really scared, even if things seemed really bad, you guys will always come through for me, no matter what. I can trust you – _all_ of you – with that. And I won't forget about any of you, either." He gripped his circus ball a little tighter. "So thanks, Ludwig. You're the best big brother ever."

The eldest was at a loss for words. Perhaps the whole experiment had been pointless after all.

"You have my vord: I vill do my best to live up to zhat title."

"Don't worry, big bro." Lemmy's smile grew as big as it could get, happy-go-lucky demeanor finally returning. "You always do. I'll do my best, too!"

It felt like a weight fell off the oldest's shoulders on seeing him back to normal. One less thing to worry about. One less thing to fear. Lemmy was strong. It was easy to see. Sometimes… well... Sometimes they all forgot just how capable he really was.

Seeing that they had reached his room, Ludwig pulled his younger brother into a brief, relieved hug before finally setting him down.

Lemmy suddenly patted Ludwig on the shoulder reassuringly with one hand, and with the other he held out his fist, a knowing look in his eyes. "And don't worry about the others getting mad at me cuz I wasn't around, either. I'll handle it, no problem!"

Ludwig chuckled, half from relief and half from the humorous mental image of Lemmy telling the others off for getting mad at him, and was quick to return the grin and fist bump. Finally, finally he could relax. His younger brother had everything under control, of that he was certain. "And as you trust me, little brozzer, I trust you as vell. I know you are more than capable."

He laughed, giving Ludwig a thumbs-up. "And don't you forget it!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Brothers forever!**

 **There won't be a new chapter until July, most likely, so I hope you all enjoyed this! I felt like it was a bit all over the place, but hopefully it made sense! Seems although Ludwig was able to help Lemmy with fighting his fear, something seems to be going wrong with the eldest that's putting a bit of a dampener on his success... hopefully it's nothing too concerning...**

 **I feel like Lemmy has an incredible amount of trust in his siblings, despite how much they all probably rag on him - which is why the experiment wasn't as in depth psychologically as the confrontation. And really, it's a double win for him that Ludwig was the one who's helping the others, because as the oldest and the leader, it shows how he wouldn't let anyone be forgotten about. The others - minus Iggy - would probably be more likely to forget about him - at least if they drifted apart.**

 **One down, five to go! X3 Man I love writing this sibling camaraderie stuff! ^^**


	5. Chapter 5: Afraid Of You

**This chapter is part of what I've dubbed 'Art-A-Thon August'! I've been posting one piece of art to Deviantart each and every day, with a few personal exceptions. I'm under the same username if you want to check it out! This week, I'm attempting to update OBC2 and MUE every day, so look forward to more chapters soon!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ludwig's next 'target' ended up being easier to locate than he had expected, though not necessarily because he found him in one of his usual places.

The gym had been empty the morning following the chain chomp migration, and his room was abandoned and unkempt, much like the slicked back mop his younger brother called hair. Sadly, it wasn't the time to criticize his family's sense of style – or lack thereof – as his mission needed to have as much of his focus as possible, if Lemmy's confrontation was any indication. Convincing them to talk would be difficult enough, never mind trying to get them to allow him to help. He would definitely have to be a lot more subtle and indirect with the rest of his siblings if he ever hoped to make progress.

Of course, considering this sibling was the craftiest of them all, he wasn't sure subtly would even matter, regardless of how high his IQ could get.

So when he couldn't find him after a bit of sneaky searching, he chose to retire to the family kitchen for a bit of brainstorming. Personally, Ludwig preferred the royal elegance of the dining hall, with its dark stone walls, thick red carpet, candle and torch based illumination, massive dark oak table that could fit a feast for a hundred, and chairs that felt like miniature thrones, but there was something about the modern simplicity of the family kitchen that seemed to help him focus on his current, deeper thoughts.

Perhaps it was the domestic nature of his musings, but the quaint atmosphere of modern appliances, light spruce table and chairs, and bright lightbulbs against walls of a lighter hued stone really seemed to set the mood for his brain to instantly get to work on his next course of action, hypotheses and theories and possibilities flying in and out of the hypothetical window of his current train of thought.

It was a bit of a waste to try to guess what the nature of the simulation had been. Nothing had really been left open to interpretation, no clues or hints as to what the experience had been. His best option would be to take things as they come, as much as he hated improvisation. He much preferred at least having some semblance of an idea of what he was getting in to, as then he could prepare what to say in advance. He would've appreciated that when dealing with Lemmy, as well, but at least his immediate younger brother was much more open with his emotions and his thoughts compared to some of the more… stubborn members of the Koopa family.

Still, the next brother on his list definitely wasn't the worst one to have a heart to heart with. But he was so unreadable that guessing the fear, never mind trying to think of the best way to deal with whatever came from the simulation, was borderline impossible. He never would've been able to guess Lemmy's greatest concern was so… dark. And the fact that he was still hadn't been able to take the first step towards helping this sibling frustrated Ludwig ever so slightly.

Of course, regardless of the fear, and the less stubborn nature, he would still have to take great care when confronting his younger brother once the time came. He could easily clam up and go into hiding if he wanted to, as was the current situation.

…Although, he supposed, if he wasn't to be found, he'd have a bit of time to prepare himself for the best and most dignifying course of action. It was the least he could do, considering the delicate subject matter at hand. Perhaps he could even go practice some of his symphonies to help him think.

After all, it almost felt like he had all the time in the world to come up with the perfect plan.

"…hey, Ludwig? You alright?"

Or not.

Starting a bit, though not entirely surprised that he'd managed to be caught off guard with how deep in thought he'd been, Ludwig turned to face none other than the target of his search. His face seemed concerned, naturally, but he also appeared guarded, as if he himself had something of a delicate nature to discuss with the oldest.

…That, or he was worried he was about to get yelled at for bothering him. Either way, he was definitely hesitating a bit, what with how he was paused in the doorway, unsure of whether to approach or retreat.

Trying to lighten the uneasy atmosphere, Ludwig waved his hand and allowed a slight smile to sit on his muzzle as he spoke.

"Ah… yes, Larry. You simply caught me razzer focused on somezing of importance."

"Oh… sorry, then. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"Nein. No need to vorry." Curious as to how exactly this was going to play out, though wishing he'd had a bit more time to mentally prepare in case Larry was intending to talk about the simulation, Ludwig gave his younger brother his full attention. "Did you vant somezing?"

"…actually, yeah." He refused to make eye contact, instead choosing to have a staring contest with the ice dispenser on the fridge while at the same time awkwardly rubbing the back of his head with his left hand, inadvertently hiding his blue star birthmark in the process. "It's… been bothering me for a bit. I mean, it's probably nothing, and I'm just overthinking it, but… I was kinda hoping to talk to you about it."

 _Zhis eez eet… zhis has to be eet... Vhat else could he vant to speak vith me about?_ Despite himself, a sense of pride filled him for a brief moment. _Zhey trust me more zhan I anticipated! I shouldn't be surprised – I_ am _an excellent sibling, after all._

"Of course, brozzer. I am more zhan villing to speak vith you should you vish to converse." He tried to come off as calm, but ideas were racing a mile a minute, each ready to pounce to the fore with how to help his brother overcome his fear.

"Okay… if you're sure…" Larry took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I just wanted to ask…"

 _Can I tell you about my simulation. Can you help me overcome my fear. Can you help me organize my room and more importantly my hair._

"Are you alright?"

What.

His brain froze amidst fear fighting plans, his train of thought toppling off the tracks and into a ravine of blankness. Silence fell into the room for a good fifteen seconds as the three word question hung there, slowly getting processed. When it finally clicked what exactly he had asked, Ludwig raised a brow in utter confusion. This isn't how he expected the conversation to begin at all. "…come again?"

"Well, it's just…" Larry's focus shifted to the opposite wall as he fidgeted in the doorway, where a cracked stone became his new opponent. "When the chain chomps were coming, you just seemed… off, is all. It's not like you to suddenly question your own plans, especially when they've worked so well before. And I mean… I'm not the only one who noticed. Morton and Wendy were talking about it too, and King Dad seemed so confused, even after the migration left." He took in another deep breath, forcing himself to look Ludwig in the eye, a slightly bewildered gleam in his eyes on seeing the look of utter shock on the face of the eldest. "So… I just wanted to make sure that… you know… everything's okay."

Expectations: Shattered.

His complete loss of words and case of 'goldfish face' passed quicker than it would have for most, but it still took Ludwig a few more seconds than he would've liked to recover and formulate a proper response.

"I… yes, of course I'm fine. Vhy do you ask?"

Larry's voice got quieter with every word he spoke in response. "Well, I mean… with… recent events… you know… maybe… something… set you off?"

He watched Larry brace himself for what he could only assume was an explosion of anger, and that's when it clicked.

They had the same intentions.

Larry hadn't come here to get help with his simulation, he'd come here to help Ludwig with his own.

And no wonder Larry was being so cautious and apprehensive; any other day the normally composed composer would've utterly lost it at any notion that he had shown any sort of weakness, let alone fear. But now he could only feel extremely relieved that they'd each been trying to find the other for exactly the same reason.

He would've laughed if it wouldn't have made him look like a totally heartless big brother.

 _Like Roy._

Shaking the sudden comparison from his head, and knowing that it was now or never, the musician tried not to grin at the irony of the situation as he carefully chose his words. So much for subtly. "You speak of ze simulation, correct?"

"…yeah." Larry held up his hands in defence. "I-I'm not saying you couldn't handle it, but I mean… i-if you want some help getting over it… Especially with Iggy's pet and so many of them around the castle-"

Ludwig's amusement turned flat in an instant. "Larry, I'm not afraid of chain chomps."

"…oh."

And the room went silent again.

 _How vise of me to not base my vords and actions on loose hypotheses…_

Choosing to break the silence this time, and obviously embarrassed by his mistake, Larry turned away, probably hoping to bolt before things got ugly. After all, the oldest _was_ a bit infamous for having a fierce temper when insulted. "Ah… sorry, Ludwig, I thought… yeah, uh… never mind. I'll… let you get back to your thoughts."

Alarmed, his mouth opened to speak before he could stop himself, and louder than ever, to boot. "Larry, hang on a moment!"

It was like a Bzzap had jabbed him right in the foot with how much Larry jolted at the sudden interruption to his escape, and for once, Ludwig was at a loss for how to continue, he himself caught off guard by his unexpected outburst.

He didn't like this. He didn't like rushing headfirst into something so serious without a plan, but he couldn't miss this chance, and he doubted he would get another anytime soon. Larry would avoid him for sure if things weren't resolved right then and now. Besides, perhaps 'winging it' this one time would assist him in overcoming his own concerns.

That said… his mind was still racing to make sure that things went his way, that he had control of the situation as he spoke.

"Perhaps you may be able to assist me still, by allowing myself to assist you."

Stiffening at the prospect, Larry stared at him, looking even more ready to bolt than before if Ludwig was implying what he seemed to think he was implying. "Hang on, what do you mean? I came here to talk about your fear, not about… mine."

"Did you end ze simulation?" He didn't want to sound so smug about it, but it came so naturally. Larry instantly picked up on his implications and looked away, clearly annoyed at being called out so easily. He was a very sore loser, and wouldn't take the 'accusation' very well.

Winging it was a terrible idea.

"…well, no, but that doesn't mean I can't help my family." His guard seemed to be going up, his voice clipped and terse, and Ludwig knew he was losing him fast, so he chose his next words carefully, especially with his earlier slip up.

"I mean to say, how can you assist ze ozzers if you have not yet been able to assist yourself?" He gestured towards him. "Your intentions are admirable, do not be mistaken. But eef you vish to help, vould it not be viser to learn how you yourself can cope so zhat you can learn from experience how to assist ze ozzers?"

Larry thought about his question, and his posture seemed to loosen ever so slightly. "…yeah, I guess so."

Seeing as the opportunity had opened up to him, Ludwig patted the chair next to him, inviting his cautious brother to approach. "Vell zhen, perhaps you can speak to me about vhat you experienced, undt zhen you can consider how to assist ze ozzers based on zhat."

"…but… I don't want to." It should've been funny how childish Larry sounded in that moment, but the humour was offset by the raw fear in his eyes that he was trying so desperately to contain.

"Undt ze ozzers vill feel ze same. Unfortunately, you may have to take ze first step before zhey may be villing to trust you." _Unless you're me, undt you're ten steps ahead of everyvon else._

Slowly, nervously, he took the few steps between the doorway and the chair, and plopped down with a heavy sigh. Clearly he was struggling with the idea, but the fact that he hadn't ran off made it obvious that he was willing to give a little if it meant getting something in return. After all, if there was one thing he knew about Larry, it was that he liked being in the know. "…alright, but…" Ludwig watched stoically as Larry braced himself to recall his simulation. "I don't think you're gonna like it."

 _We were all working on personal projects together, for a family mural. We were putting things together and were going to combine them into one big picture. Don't ask me why._

 _I was working really hard to get everything right, and was just finishing up. I was super proud of it._

 _And that's when I heard one of you say…_

 _That's stupid._

 _But I couldn't even tell which one of you was speaking, since you were all white-eyed silhouettes and you'd all begun to gather together and look at my work._

 _I hate it._

 _So childish._

 _You're really going to include that?_

 _I wouldn't put that in._

 _"_ _There's nothing wrong with it!" I said, a bit desperately. "I like it!"_

 _Why would you like that?_

 _That's pathetic._

 _Only weak Koopas would enjoy something so dumb._

 _I can't believe you listen to that._

 _And you put her on there, too? Talk about tacky._

 _"_ _Why are you guys being so mean?!"_

 _Because it's you._

 _You like it, so I hate it._

 _"_ _But I like them! It's who I am! Why can't you like who I am?!"_

 _I don't like you because you're not like me._

 _Maybe if you were more like me._

 _But you're nothing like me._

"And then all you did was laugh and gave me these horrible, mocking looks… It was awful." He was visibly shaking, voice cracking as he tried to calm himself, tried to be strong in front of the oldest. "I-I'm… guessing it had to do with not getting your approval, or something along those lines. I dunno – I'm trying not to think about it too much."

"Zhat… doesn't seem right." Ludwig mused, more to himself than to his brother. "If zhat vere ze case, you vould have been attempting to impress us vith somezing grandiose, not simply expressing your opinions and feelings."

Ludwig turned to Larry, mouth open to continue his thought process, and that's when he saw the anxiety in his posture, his claws tapping together expectantly, and his light blue eyes filled with nervous anticipation, as though he were waiting for the oldest to insult him.

And then it clicked.

"Larry, you're…" He blinked, scarcely believing it himself. "You're afraid of judgement."

Larry reeled back in shock, nearly falling off his chair in the process. "…what?"

"It makes so much sense," Ludwig mused, memories flooding his mind, "Vith how you vere trying to act tough vhen ve undt Roy vere sick… how you vould alvays look for vays to be accepted by ze rest of us by accepting challenges undt dares… how you've been trying to imitate my more complex combat moves, undt how you alvays seem to be full of anticipation for our approval undt commendation, especially vith your schemes… I never vould have considered zhat normally, as you tend to be qvite self-confident…" A thought struck him, and Ludwig turned to Larry with a raised an eyebrow. "If you don't mind my asking… vhat vas on your mural?"

"…" His face went from startled disbelief to wary reluctance. It was easy to tell, now that the pieces had fallen into place, that he was fully anticipating some sort of mockery.

So he tried again, doing his very best to come off as the understanding big brother he was striving to be. "Larry, ve know you very vell. Anyzing zhat could be on ze mural couldn't possibly be somezing ve don't already know."

With an audible gulp, Larry closed his eyes and recounted the objects, refusing to look at Ludwig – presumably expecting the eldest's gaze to become judgemental. "My tennis racket, my guitar, a programming book, a drawing of Grasslands with my airship in the back that I made, a picture of this really cute Dragon-Koopa girl that I know lives in the outer Grasslands – which I DON'T actually have, by the way." He bared his fangs ever so slightly before continuing, as if daring his brother to challenge that. "A bunch of my favourite foods, like perfect steaks, a… train roller coaster… a page from 'Happy Gardeners Monthly', an…" He cleared his throat. "An equestrian racer arcade game… those Olympic games got me hooked, before you ask… and…"

"Undt…?"

"…a Koopalia CD."

Ludwig blinked. "A vhat?"

"It's… an all-girl rock band," he explained, face going red, "But before you say ANYTHING they're REALLY good and I don't wanna hear a thing about poor tastes unless you've heard them yourself, Mr. 'Classical or Death'."

"…I'm not ZHAT extreme."

"You literally smashed Iggy upside the head with Morton's hammer when he made fun of it in training and almost broke his glasses."

He chose to ignore that, though he _was_ feeling rather insulted at the moment. "Vas zhat it?"

"As far as I can remember, yeah… But it does make sense, now that I think about it," Larry admitted, albeit begrudgingly, "I really do hate the thought of you guys judging me… almost makes me sick to admit I like all those things."

"Vhen have ve ever judged you?" _Don't mention the hair don't mention the hair don't mention the hair…_

"Look, I… I _know_ it's stupid, but…" He glared down at the table, hands clenching into fists. "You've never been the youngest. You've never been the youngest for six years straight with six older siblings, and even when you _aren't_ the youngest anymore, your only younger brother is usually hanging out with King Dad and leaving you and your siblings behind." Larry's voice began to rise in volume. "You never have to deal with never getting to do what _you_ want to do, because you're not the youngest with no one around to give you a chance. You never have to deal with the others potentially judging you just because they're older than you and have more 'mature' interests."

Well this certainly wasn't where he was expecting this conversation to go. "…You are your own person, Larry. You are entitled to your own likes undt dislikes."

"But I can't do those things with you guys!" He retorted loudly, a bit of despair creeping into his voice. "It's always been the same thing! Unless I resort to blackmail, for the longest time I was always stuck doing what _you_ all wanted to do because I was worried you'd think what I wanted to do was too lame or immature! Like when we had our big family cruise, I never wanted to go to Pyramid Park, but I went anyway because the rest of you wanted to and you all thought Windmilleville was stupid and babyish, so I never said anything about wanting to go there instead! I've been shot out of cannons, used as a punching bag or a test subject or a decoy, forced to listen to Morton or your practice for hours – no offense – dragged along on adventures I didn't even want to go on in the first place, and I hardly got a say in any of it! I mean, now it doesn't even matter, but…" He let out an annoyed huff, turning towards the table and allowing his gaze to bore into the stone wall on the other side of the room. "I always went along with whatever you guys wanted and I always knew it was because I wanted you guys to like me, even if it meant hiding what I liked, because I've always wanted your approval and didn't want to risk losing said approval if I liked something you found babyish or if I disliked something you loved and wanted to do." He winced. "Even with Wendy."

"Vait, is zhat vhy you-?!"

"NO don't you DARE bring that up." His outburst was followed by an eye roll. "…But yes, that would be why. Worst decision I ever made."

"Wow. I… had no idea."

"Yeah, well, there's nothing that can be done about it now… and I honestly think nothing's going to change, because, like it or not, I'm still the younger brother of the group most of the time, and unlike Junior I don't throw a tantrum if I don't get my way every single time I want to do something different from the rest of you." He chuckled humourlessly, shoulders drooping dejectedly as he admitted what Ludwig could only assume was the last thing he wanted to admit, even more so than his personal likes. "…I'm just a tagalong looking for approval, and that's all I'll ever be because I'm too scared of judgement to be anything else."

Silence descended on the room as Ludwig processed all of this information. Larry _was_ the most normal and tended to be pretty easygoing, but it appeared even he had his limits to what he would put up with.

The eldest flinched ever so slightly as an old memory resurfaced, a memory of a much younger Larry holding up one of his favourite board games above his head and asking the rest of them with wide, hopeful eyes if they'd be willing to play it with him. He remembered responding with scorn at the so-called childish game and the others quickly following suit, shutting him down rather harshly for their age, mocking the game and, by extension, Larry himself. The only exception was Lemmy, who refused simply because he claimed that he'd tried it once before and it was too complicated for him to get. He remembered the look of utter dejection on Larry's face as he lowered the game and hugged it close to his chest. Ludwig recalled finding the game stuffed into the back of a storage closet a week later while he was looking for his spare tuning fork, bent and haphazardly clawed at, and feeling a mixture of guilt and regret that his younger brother had been so quick to abandon something he cherished so much simply because the others had mocked him for it.

He briefly wondered if he even still liked that game anymore, thanks to them.

He shook his head to bring him back to reality, and turned to the light-blue shelled Koopaling, determination in his eyes and voice. "Larry, zere is nozzing vrong vith asking us to do vhat you vant to do. Ve may not alvays be available or have ze best responses, but you shouldn't abandon somezing simply because ve may not share or understand your interest. Trust me, if I had allowed zhat to get to me, I vould have given up composing long ago." He was referring to when he had lost his hearing, and how his music was nothing but screeches for months. Larry hadn't been old enough at the time, but he'd heard the horror stories from the rest of his siblings, so his eyes filled with understanding at the reference.

What Larry may not know, however, is that when you were a musician, or any kind of artist, really, critics never completely vanish from your life, whether good or bad.

He felt a slight pang of worry for his younger brother's DJ career and wondered if he'd come across said critics yet, and how he felt about them if that were indeed the case. He'd have to remember to look into it later. No one roasted his siblings without getting roasted in return.

Quite literally.

"So, unless zere truly eez a problem, do not concern yourself vith our critical remarks. Undt I vould be more zhan villing to assist you vith some of your botanical experiments or programming exploits, should you vish to include somevon else, zhat eez."

"Well… I guess if you didn't try and take over like you usually do…"

"…I resent zhat."

Larry smirked and shook his head. "Thanks, big bro. I needed that. I'll… try to speak my mind a little more, I guess… and I'll try to give you guys a little more credit when something comes up that _I_ want to do."

"I am pleased to have been of assistance." The eldest, satisfied that his presence was no longer required and that Larry was beginning to recover from his simulation, hopped off his chair and began to head to the door, giving his younger brother a reassuring pat on his shoulder as he did so. "Now, if you vill excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

"But what about you?"

The question made him freeze, and he felt his calm demeanor began to slip away from him.

Of course Larry had to pick now to suddenly remember the whole reason why he'd shown up in the first place. There was no reason for him to go back to that. No reason to recall it. But he still didn't dare turn around, lest his younger brother see the nervousness he knew would be in his eyes. "…Don't vorry about me. I know vhat my concerns are. Ze important zhing is zhat you are able to acknowledge yours."

 _Undt now I know exactly vhat to do to help you overcome it._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **BROTHERS FOREVERRRRRRR**

 **Ugh trust me Larry I know EXACTLY how you feel :/ not the siblings part, though. Also, what Larry did for Wendy will be mentioned later XP nothing bad, don't worry!**

 **This was my train of thought while editing: Ludwig your ego is RUINING THE MOMENT HE IS HAVING PROBLEMS**

 **To be fair, they've all probably judged each other on multiple occasions, but in this instance Larry is the least likely to be judged by the others since he's usually willing to do what they want to do. Besides, it's a pretty intense conversation, so I doubt Larry would be able to recall anything specific without thinking about it for a bit.**

 **Ludwig you are in no position to judge someone for their hair, you puffball.**

 **I'm a LITTLE ehhh on the simulation part, but I figured since it's a recount you wouldn't get the whole 'third person view' on it. Again, it was a short simulation, but a lot happened in a short period of time, especially for Ludwig. Also I wanted to get this out so hopefully it flows well – not as much of a heart to heart as Lemmy's, but I can see Larry's fear of judgement holding him back from expressing too much.**

 **Larry's was honestly one of the harder ones to come up with – I had a few options, such as solitude and fire, but fire didn't really make sense and solitude was too similar to Lemmy's.**

 **The 'grasslands Dragon-Koopa girl' is a minor character in My Unknown Effect known as Marissa – she is only mentioned in passing and does not appear in my written works.**


	6. Chapter 6: Obligatory Invitations

Ludwig had used the rest of his day and the better part of his night on creating the optimal way to help Larry overcome his fear. Having his father's full support on the project, it was easy to request that the rest of the family head out for intense topographical training – ranging from deserts to icebergs –which ended up in an impromptu midnight laser tag marathon under the stars, resulting in the majority of his siblings being conked out by the time they returned. Those that were stubborn enough to be conscious went straight to their rooms to collapse on their beds – or the floor if they weren't able to make it that far. So none of them happened to notice the little 'construction project' underway.

Bowser offhandedly mentioned that the laser tag was Larry's idea, and Ludwig could only smirk.

Perhaps this project was a bit extensive for what he was planning on using it for, but he was a genius. He wasn't about to leave anything out that could prevent Larry from trusting the rest of them or make the second youngest think one of his likes was too unpopular to include. So he worked and worked, exhausting himself for the good of his brother.

Of course, having a large arsenal of minions and coins at your disposal certainly made things much easier. So by the time morning rolled around, the plan was completed and he had even been able to snag a few hours of sleep. Not bad for him at all, considering the all-nighters he had the tendency to pull.

Larry had been one of the ones who'd fallen asleep by the time the airship had returned, so Ludwig wouldn't be surprised if was already awake by this time. This is why he didn't hesitate to rap on the bright blue door decorated with two large tennis rackets and a spattering of small, dark blue stars.

Apparently, he was wrong – for once – because he heard and proceeded to wince at the heavy thud that served as a response to his knocking. A few seconds of fumbling around with the doorknob, and Larry was there, looking up at him sleepily, but certainly not upset at having been disturbed from his slumber.

"Oh… Hey, Lud," he yawned, rubbing one eye and squinting with the other, "You just woke me up."

"My apologies." Ludwig dipped his head slightly. "I simply have somezing of importance to show you."

"Uh… okay. Lead the way, then."

It wasn't far. They only had to descend one floor to get to the strikingly plain door that Ludwig was looking for. After double-checking that it was the correct one and not just some random storage closet (wouldn't _that_ be embarrassing) he took a step back and allowed Larry to peer into the incredibly dark room. It was impossible to make anything out. The Koopaling glanced at his brother quizzically, not understanding what was expected of him.

"Go ahead, take a step inside. Nozzing bad is going to happen."

Larry complied, going three steps into the room, and Ludwig stayed back, observing his fatigue changing to confusion, before he suddenly became much more aware of his surroundings and looked at his feet, then to his older brother, and back again.

"Is this… _grass?_ "

Ludwig responded to the incredulous inquiry by simply flicking on the lights, and watched in amusement as Larry nearly crashed to the floor, alongside his jaw.

"How… how did you even…?!"

"Ve vorked on eet all yesterday and almost all night as vell, so hopefully eet shall be to your satisfaction."

"You're joking. This is incredible!"

Larry looked around the room in wonder. The flooring was indeed made of grass, and the walls and ceiling were painted sky blue, with a few clouds added near the top. Dark blue stars hung from the ceiling, and surrounded a bright, spherical light fixture that reminded them both of the sun.

On the left wall was a large turntable that sat in front of a dance floor reminiscent of the Electrodrome, flashing purples and blues. Large speakers and a set of custom blue star headphones sat atop the turntable, with spikes dotting the diameter of the earpieces. To their immediate left sat comfortable looking lounge chairs in red or white, booths with marble piranha plant heads on the sides for cup holders, and short, white cocktail tables with the centre poles coloured green and tiny Piranha plant spikes sticking out of them. The legs of the tables curled out like vines and shared the spikes that the centre poles had. There was a large, black fridge further back, and a table for setting up delicious snacks, alongside an ice cream maker and a drinking fountain between the table and the dance floor.

Like, a literal _fountain_. Currently full of and dispersing _orange soda_.

Ludwig spared no expense.

The right wall housed various arcade-style video games, including a multi-faceted horse themed game that featured multiplayer racing, Olympic Equestrian, and what appeared to be a 'pet mode'. The second game was DDR – a classic – virtual tennis, and a series of empty looking cabinets with the words 'To Be Announced' written on each of them.

"So zhat you can program your own," Ludwig explained, causing the younger Koopaling to light up in excitement.

To their immediate right was a miniature tennis court, and the wall next to it was decorated with a series of empty flower pots. There were also planters on the floor below the shelves. The entire set up was surrounded by a mesh covering, to protect them and future plants from any heated tennis matches.

In the far right corner, there was a painting of a grassy hill with a tunnel going through it – the entrance on the left and the exit on the right, both tunnels surrounded by stones all around. A crude cardboard train (apparently that's where his 'expense' ran out) sat on surprisingly realistic looking tracks that curved at a 90 degree angle to meet the tunnels.

There was a large machine that divided the room in two, and what appeared to be a VR helmet was placed on top of a red stool. Ludwig stepped into the room after Larry and motioned towards it.

"Zhis is my own personal invention. I designed it to simulate dangerous experiments vith no risk of injury, but it has been of little use to me as of late and you know Iggy prefers to throw caution to the lava moat. So…" He picked up the helmet. "I reprogrammed it to calibrate to your programming software, allowing you to design games in a 3D space. Zhere is only von helmet, but eet vill be easy for me to engineer another should you vish to collaborate vith someone."

"I just… I…"

Larry looked around at everything, completely at a loss for words.

So Ludwig decided to drop another bombshell.

"I vas also intending to add a nighttime feature to ze lighting, so zhat it could imitate ze moon, but ze rollercoaster took longer zhat expected. My apologies."

That seemed to snap him out of it. "Are you kidding me?! This is the best room I've ever seen! I-" He blinked. "Wait. Rollercoaster?"

With a grin, Ludwig returned to the door and pushed a button next to the light switch. The portions of the walls that served as the mural for the hill and the tunnels suddenly began to rise upward, revealing tracks continuing off into darkness on both ends. There was a loud rattling noise that probably woke everyone else up.

"You didn't."

And then a large steam train burst through and completely obliterated the cardboard version, while the cars attached to the back were painted to resemble passenger cars.

"WOW."

Larry shook his head, too ecstatic to even think.

"How… How did you manage to DO this?"

"Vith a lot of assistance from ze minions. Von of ze rooms below you vas recently cleared of excess at my reqvest veeks ago. It vas to be a storage room for my many instruments undt older compositions, but I figured zhis vould be a much more… _useful_ endeavour." He shrugged. "I can deal vith ze clutter. I vould razzer zhey all remain vith me, anyvay. Facilitates finding zhings I may need."

"So… so this is…?!"

"Yes. Zhis room is yours to keep…" He smirked. "…On von condition."

Surprisingly, Larry didn't seem too phased or annoyed by that. "Yeah, I figured something was up. No way you'd do all this for nothing. So… what's the damage?"

"You have to invite every member of zhe family here, by yourself, and convince zhem to show up vithin zhree hours, ozzervise this room is going to be taken down and used to store my instruments, as initially intended."

Larry's joy instantly died.

"You… you can't be serious." He glanced around the room warily. "Do you realize how little they'd care about this?"

"Zhen it should be easy for you. Zhey are not reqvired to stay if zhey do not vish, but zhey must arrive here vithin zhree hours."

"You'd seriously throw all this work away and turn this masterpiece of a room into a stuffy storage bin just because someone didn't show up."

"I'm completely serious, Larry."

"…you _do_ know King Dad's testing airships today, right?"

"…Very vell. Fazzer is exempt. But you must still convince our six siblings to attend if you vish to keep zhis permanently." He shrugged. "I do not care how you go about it, but it must be of zheir own free vill."

"Okay… okay. Three hours should be enough time to get the most out of this place."

"Ah… I almost forgot." Ludwig suddenly removed a piece of paper from his Hammerspace, and passed it to his brother.

"Vhile I presumed zhat inviting your 'Grasslands friend' here unannounced vas probably an unvise decision, I _did_ manage to procure a bit of information, should you ever vish to contact her ze next time ve invade ze Mushroom Kingdom."

Larry's eyes bugged at the paper in his hand, which had letters and numbers written in a neat, flowing script.

 _Marissa_

His face practically glowing now, the younger of the two looked up at him with the hugest grin he'd ever seen. "Okay, challenge aside, you just shot up like sixty points on the sibling meter."

"I'm glad." He then shoved his brother out of the room and locked the door behind him. "Because you von't be able to enjoy zhis until ze rest of ze family arrives. Undt you can decide for yourself if it's vorth ze risk to see if I installed a security system or not."

"…I retract that previous statement and deduct an additional 20 points."

"You literally came up vith zhat zhis morning."

"I don't care you're just mad I took your points away."

 **XXXXXXXX**

While Larry was out presumably hunting for the other Koopalings, Ludwig planned to use the majority of those three hours to take another nap. He didn't want to demolish all of his hard work – that would be cruel, even for him – but if Larry wasn't going to own up to his fears, then he'd have to pay the consequences, no matter how much he begged or pled otherwise.

 _And he certainly vouldn't be inconsiderate to the point of letting all my generous work undt extensive preparations go to waste. I gave him a_ rollercoaster. _If he fails zhis I'm not talking to him for a month._

 _…_ _No, zhat's not fair. A month is too generous. Two months, undt all his desserts for a year. Zhat vould be an acceptable start._

After making sure he didn't look like a complete mess from his rather restless sleep – being called 'Kooky' again was the _last_ thing he needed at the moment – Ludwig stood expectantly at the entrance to the former storage room, key in hand. He had decided the best course of action was to remain uninvolved in the invitation process, and not verbalize his own opinions on the room's contents, so that he wouldn't influence the others one way or another.

Ten minutes was all that remained, and as he glanced down the halls, Larry rounded the corner and approached the eldest, his countenance rather displeased.

"How did it go?"

"I… guess we'll find out," he muttered, refusing to look Ludwig in the eye. He was probably going to pay for this later if things didn't go smoothly for him, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

"How long do they have to get here?"

"Ten minutes."

"Great…"

"Vere you able to talk to everyone?"

"Well, yeah," he scoffed, eyes flashing in annoyance, "That was the whole point, wasn't it?"

"So vhat's-"

"Hi Larry! Hi Ludwig!"

The two of them glanced up to see Lemmy cheerily waving at them as he rolled over, a big smile on his face as Iggy followed behind rather timidly.

"What's up?"

Larry shrugged, trying his best to act calm. "Nothing, I guess. Just standing around."

Iggy glanced over to the door and nodded towards it. "So, what's this big thing you wanted to show us?"

"We have to wait for everyone else to show up."

Lemmy pouted and sat cross-legged on his circus ball, balancing perfectly despite his erratic movements. "We're not gonna miss lunch, are we?"

"Nah, that shouldn't be an issue." He must've been thinking about the fridge. Either that or he was expecting everyone to book it the moment they saw the room… and considering the look on Larry's face, Ludwig highly doubted that it was the former.

Thankfully, within the span of five minutes, Morton, Junior, and Wendy had all arrived, each with varying degrees of curiosity and enthusiasm. Morton seemed eager to check out the room, Junior was casually curious, and Wendy-

"Can we GO INSIDE already?!"

Well, you can guess where she was on the spectrum.

Larry tapped his claws together nervously, glancing up at a clock a few steps down the hall. There were only a few seconds left on his time limit, and Ludwig almost felt the need to extend it just to save him the anxiety.

Almost. Wouldn't exactly be much of a challenge if he made it easier right at the end, now would it? And he _could_ still use the room for himself. There wouldn't be anything stopping him.

In an attempt to placate her, and presumably reassure himself in the process, Larry held up his hands defensively.

"Ludwig's not gonna let me open the door if someone's missing. We'll just have to wait for Roy to-"

"I'm here," a gruff voice called from down the hall, cutting Larry off and surprising some of the siblings. Three hours, on the dot. Normally he'd take his sweet time – and blow Larry's chances of keeping his new room in the process – but he actually seemed almost… anxious to meet up with the rest of them.

 _Perhaps I'm simply imagining it…_ Ludwig mused to himself, a critical glare subconsciously entering his otherwise stoic expression, _It's subtle, if it's legitimate… perhaps he simply vants to make sure none of us are injured._

 _Why? So he can do it himself?_

The dark thought came out of nowhere and startled him out of his wits, but he managed to catch himself before he could visibly react to it. All he needed was for the others to see him freak out for no apparent reason… This was starting to become a bit of a problem.

 _…_ _perhaps an all-nighter vasn't ze best idea if zhis is ze result… I must get as much rest as possible tonight to prevent zhis from happening again._

"So what's up, Larry?" Roy glanced at each of them, expression unreadable, although a hint of eagerness was detected in his voice. "You got something to show us?"

"Yeah, Larry!" Lemmy chimed in. "You said it was super awesome and no awesome Koopa would miss it!"

"Though that doesn't explain why Wendy's here," Junior snickered, but his amusement was interrupted by a loud smack. "OW!"

Wendy went back to examining her nails, satisfied that they hadn't been ruined by whacking her younger brother upside the head.

Larry took a deep breath and glanced over to Ludwig, who nodded and passed him the key.

"Well… for a long time I've… kinda been always stuck doing what everyone else wants to do, and… there's a lot of cool things I've wanted you guys to try but… I've never really gotten the chance to share them with you." His hands started to shake as he glanced at the key, voice getting quieter as he became fully aware of everyone's eyes on him. "So if… if you guys wanted to, well… Ludwig made this room, and you… you don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I still think I should show it to you." He turned his shell to them, ignoring the confused looks the six of them exchanged between each other, and allowed himself one more deep – albeit shaky – breath before turning the key in the lock.

 _Click!_

"So… this is it!"

Six sets of eyes bugged out the moment the room became illuminated, not unlike how Larry had reacted hours earlier. Slowly, almost warily, they trickled in, looking around at the transformed storage room with awe and disbelief. Roy and Morton drifted to the DJ table, Junior and Iggy were checking out the video games, Wendy was eyeing the ice cream maker with great interest, and Lemmy – who had fallen off of his circus ball courtesy of the green turf due to not expecting the violent change in flooring – had taken to rolling around on the grass, careful not to plow into anything or anyone as he did so.

"This stuff is so soft! This is awesome!"

No one said anything else until the group had toured the room, inspecting the contents and seeing what it had provided, although Wendy did grumble a bit about having to remove her heels thanks to the grass.

"So this is all the stuff you like, huh, Larry?"

Everyone's eyes went to Roy, who was staring right at the second youngest with a critical expression.

 _Don't zhink I don't see what you're about to do. I've vorked too hard for you to ruin zhis. If you dare impede my progress, Roy, so help me…_

"Er… yeah… some of it, I mean. The big stuff… You guys already knew a lot of it, but… some you didn't, so…"

"Because I think this may be the coolest room in the entire castle." He smirked. "…Besides mine, of course."

If Larry was a light bulb, he would've been glowing brighter than the sun as his expression changed from apprehension to one of pure joy, especially as the other Koopalings began chiming their agreement, amidst growling stomachs.

"Ludwig, there's snacks in the fridge, right?" he asked, excitedly bouncing on his feet.

He nodded, and the group immediately headed for the fridge to fill up before they began to try out the new room. Larry watched them go with a gleam in his eyes. Of course, there was still a lot for them to see and try out, but so far things were going pretty smoothly. His stomach growled, and he looked over to where his siblings were picking their snacks.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot. I should make these cabinets a little more… personal, first."

Ludwig glanced over as Larry raced to the blank arcade systems and pulled out two USBs, submitting each of them into their own respective cabinets. Pixels began to light up and words began to enter the screens, but Ludwig was too far away to be able to tell what they were about.

And, at the moment, he was far too hungry to care.

"LUDWIG!" Junior wailed from the fridge, "You can't put your name on an entire chocolate cake! That's not fair!"

"If you're so eager to have some zhen go and find your own. Ze cake is MINE."

 **XXXXXXXX**

The group munched on their various snacks, music now playing in the background to provide some atmosphere, and all in all they were having a good time so far. Of course, they hadn't gotten to the more _personal_ stuff yet, but that was about to change, because Ludwig knew exactly what to listen for, and he was sure one or two of the others would catch onto it as well.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes, a particular song began blasting through the speakers, but it didn't register with Larry what it was until Wendy spoke up.

"Wait… who's singing this? I've never heard this band before…"

Larry's eyes widened when he realized what CD was actually playing and his face started to go red.

"It's… uh… they're…"

All eyes were on him now, with the exception of Ludwig, who was cackling to himself. Sure, he _was_ trying to help Larry get over his fear of judgement, but he couldn't deny how entertaining it was to watch someone else squirm while he got away scot-free. Forget sympathy.

The second youngest cleared his throat. "…they're called Koopalia."

Their faces were as blank as before, and Larry's went even redder.

"It's… an all-girl rock band that… I kinda listen to. All the time."

Morton tilted his head curiously to listen, and then lit up. "Hey! This is pretty good! I could get behind this! The music is strong and the vocals are really well done and they're not gasping for breath after every single line like almost every other singer out there!"

"Yeah, I could see myself singing this," Wendy agreed, looking up at the painted clouds wistfully.

The boys all cringed in horror. That was the _last_ thing _anyone_ needed.

"P-perhaps not…" Ludwig insisted, rather reassuringly, "After all, vouldn't it be better to perform somezing more suited to your… ah… unique musical talents?"

She frowned at him slightly, but chose not to press it any further. "I… suppose you're right. Besides, I wouldn't want to sing something an _ugly_ girl sings."

Larry waved her off. "Oh, no way. They're totally hot."

Yet again, their eyes all snapped to him, jaws dropping incredulously, and he seemed to realize what he'd said a moment too late. Within seconds, his hands were covering his eyes and his face was as pink as Roy's. Said Koopaling had already bolted for the DJ table with a huge grin on his face and easily located the CD case. With a swipe, it was in his hands and he was staring at it as he made his way back.

The cover featured five spiked shells in a circle, each a different colour – presumably the colours of the band members' shells.

Flipping it over revealed the members of Koopalia themselves.

"Whoahahahoa!" Roy smacked Larry on the shoulder, grin widening at his embarrassment. "Gotta admit, you've got good taste, little brother!"

"I like their MUSIC," he retorted, voice muffled thanks to his hands, "I didn't even know what they looked like until a few weeks ago!"

Morton took it from Roy and shared the case with Ludwig. "Wow! They look really professional, actually! I wonder if we could get them to perform here!"

"Zhey are qvite striking. Undt zheir interest in ancient Darkland history intrigues me, especially since zhey don't seem to much older zhan us."

Lemmy held it in front of him, lighting up. "Aww, they're pretty!"

"And their modesty and colour coordination is visually appealing. Not too bold, not too brash, but subtle enough to be tasteful."

Junior frowned at the case. "…I don't get it."

"Don't worry about it."

"Guyyyys. Just knock it off already! I didn't mean to say that."

"We're just teasing ya, man. Chill out," Roy tossed the case over to their sister with a smirk, giving her the chance to potentially complain about them.

True to form, she frowned immediately. " _Please._ I'm _much_ better looking than some plastic autotuned mannequins." Wendy turned her nose up in distaste. "I bet they haven't even dated someone like Brad Koopley from Autumn Leaf."

Morton's mouth was moving before his brain could stop it. "But you haven't dated him either. Didn't you just blackmail him into taking a picture with you at that one concert you went to?"

He slapped a hand over his mouth, and his brothers all slid their chairs away from him as Wendy brandished one of her trademark rings, getting to her feet with a dangerous gleam in her eye.

" _What. Did. You. Just. SAY?_ "

He screamed in terror and knocked his chair over as the chase began, with her throwing rings at his skull and screaming insults about how she was the prettiest Koopa there was and how all – unrelated – boys should be _honoured_ to even get the chance to _look_ at her. Unfortunately for Morton, since she wasn't wearing heels, she was going a _lot_ faster than normal.

Wisely, the rest of them stayed silent.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"And this is the rollercoaster!"

When Wendy and Morton had finally been pulled apart, the latter sporting various bruises and bumps, Larry had begun to show them the room's different features in greater detail. The custom cabinets and equestrian game had been surprisingly well received, and Iggy had instantly taken a like to the VR programming machine. Larry had told them that once he got the coding from Ludwig, he'd program it to simulate games as well, which was wholeheartedly encouraged by the rest of them, sans Wendy, who was still bitter over the 'blackmail' comment.

"It's a train it's so cool!" Lemmy gushed.

Iggy tilted his head curiously. "Where does it go?"

"Under ze castle, zrough some of ze abandoned mineshafts undt unused hallvays. Zhey vere easy enough to fortify."

"Oh, does it go over the lava lake that's near the tunnels?"

"Yes."

Wendy stared at Morton with incredulity, temporarily forgetting her anger towards him. "There's a _lava lake_ under the castle."

"Yeah! Oh I guess it makes sense you didn't know because otherwise you would've whined to King Dad about trying to get a hot spring but I guess you don't really need one because the water's so hot here anyway well except outside in the pool but that's supposed to be cold water anyway- OW!"

"It's different," Roy shrugged, lowering his hand as Morton rubbed his head in annoyance. "So I'd try it."

"Awesome!" Larry cheered, eager to give it a try, "And the front looks super cool! We should all-"

"I have a question."

Everyone turned to Junior, who looked uncharacteristically serious, and almost unimpressed.

 _Uh-oh…_

Larry's smile began to fade. "Uh… yeah, Junior?"

"I mean, most of this is pretty cool, but a _train_ rollercoaster? There's only one thing that would make that cool. Ever."

 _Oh no._

Ludwig could easily see the anxiety filling Larry's eyes, but the second youngest pressed on, determined to take the judgement head on, no matter how brutal it was. But all it would take was one of them to judge him harshly, and the rest were likely to follow suit, and then he'd be back to square one and Larry wouldn't be able to set foot in the room thanks to the trauma, and then he'd have to come up with _another_ plan and _he didn't have that kind of time-_

"…Does it have a whistle?"

Larry looked to Ludwig, and everyone else followed suit. The eldest took three seconds to register his question, mostly because his obsessive train of thought had been derailed, and then he growled in utter frustration at the fact that the youngest insisted on being so serious over something so minute.

"Of course it does! Vhat kind of uncultured buffoon do you take me for?!"

The group grinned widely at his irritation, but before they could say anything, they heard the telltale sign of wheels clacking against track. And, sure enough, the coaster blasted past them, train whistle blaring, proving his point.

"…seriously, vhat idiot makes a train rollercoaster undt doesn't put a vhistle on it?" he grumbled.

"Okay, so everything in this room is by far the coolest thing I've seen all day," Morton declared, "And I don't think we should waste another second!" He turned to Larry eagerly, who blinked in surprised. "So! What do we do first?"

"I…" He was speechless. Honestly, that was to be expected. And while everyone seemed to be eager to give the rollercoaster a go, he seemed highly doubtful that sharp twists and turns at high speeds after everyone had eaten was a wise decision.

Thankfully, Ludwig came prepared.

"How about somezing a little more laid back?"

"What do you-" Larry's eyes widened as an old-looking box was presented to him, bent and faded and ripped in certain places but unmistakeable to the light blue-shelled Koopaling.

"Zhis time, you decide. You've vaited long enough, little brozzer."

Iggy glanced over Ludwig's shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "…'mall madness?'"

"So, wait, it's a shopping game?" Wendy gasped, hands going to her face in excitement.

"Sounds like fun!" Lemmy agreed.

"Eh, I could use something simple to help me wake up!" Morton agreed.

He stared at the box with even more excitement than before, if that was possible. "…can we?"

Junior shrugged. "Eh, it's your call, Larry. I mean, this is _your_ room, right?"

Even Roy seemed a bit curious, and his next words surprised the group even more than his punctuality. "…Kinda girly, I guess. But I'm not gonna be the odd one out."

 _Somezing is definitely up…_ Ludwig had no time to think about it now though, as Larry chose to hesitantly approach him, eyes never leaving the old board game.

Despite himself, and despite his desire to come off as 'cool and mature' he took the game from Ludwig with a rather giddy expression on his face and spoke the four words that would send the rest of them into extreme competition mode:

"You're all going down."

 **XXXXXXXX**

At the end of the game, Larry and Wendy had crushed the rest of them handily. Seeing as it was a four player game, the group had split into four teams of two, with the other teams being Roy and Junior, Ludwig and Morton, and Iggy and Lemmy.

Iggy was the first to voice his thoughts. "Okay, I'll admit it. For a game that seems to focus on the teenage girl demographic, that was surprisingly fun."

"Tell me about it… I can't believe I was so obsessed with it as a kid…" Larry admitted, earning a smirk from Wendy.

"I'm sure it was just because you thought the computer's voice was _sooo_ pretty," she drawled, earning a laugh from her teammate and a light sock in the arm.

"Shut up, Wendy!"

"It was probably the money part, honestly," Lemmy spoke up, making a startlingly good point.

Roy ruffled Larry's hair, ignoring his cry of complaint. "Yeah, even back then you were a greedy squirt."

"You guys are jerks," he smirked, "But I'm generous, so I'll still let you ride the coaster."

"I call the front seat!"

"HEY! _I_ wanted the front seat FIRST, Morton!" Junior raced after the tubby Koopaling while the others followed behind him.

"Let Larry go first, vhy don't you?" Ludwig called, forcing the two of them to stop bickering for a moment.

"Nah, it's fine if they want to go-"

"No no no, you wanted it before, you can have it!" Iggy argued as he, Roy, and Lemmy all shoved him towards the coaster.

"Guyyys! It's okay if they wanted it!"

"We have, like, eleven years of you doing what you wanted to do to catch up on, Larry!" Wendy replied, "Just accept it already!"

"It doesn't ALWAYS have to be me!"

"Too bad. You're in the seat now. Get used to it."

"ROY!"

Lemmy grinned. "Don't argue with Roy, Larry! We all know you wanted to go first!"

"GUYS!"

And so began the 'doing whatever Larry wanted to do and finding out his interests and such' day.

Ludwig was extremely relieved that the plan had gone so smoothly, and went to join his siblings on the rollercoaster, the train whistle blaring.

 _Two down, five to go._

 **XXXXXXXX**

As dinnertime began to approach, Ludwig was quite impressed to see that all of his siblings had stuck around, only ever leaving for bathroom breaks or to bring their own snacks. Even Wendy was still having fun, and she hardly ever wanted to be around her brothers.

"Hey, Lud? What's that?"

His observations were interrupted as Larry approached him, gesturing to a hole in the ceiling, off in the top right corner, above the rollercoaster track.

"Ah. Zhat vould be ze transport from your room to zhis von. I arranged for it to be installed vhile you vere out inviting ze ozzers to join you."

"Man, Ludwig, this… this is just so great. Thanks for everything, man. I never thought I'd be able to actually share all of this with the rest of you." With a relieved sigh, his eyes panned through the room. "I still can't believe you managed to get this all here, within a day, without me even knowing about it."

He waved off the compliment with a smirk. "I had a little help from Fazzer."

"You… what?!" Larry let out a laugh of disbelief. "I was wondering why King Dad wasn't bringing you along with us, but I just thought it was because you didn't want to be interrupted or something! And after yesterday's whole exchange… I can't believe I didn't see this coming!"

"Who didn't see what coming?" Lemmy asked, rolling up to the two of them, concentrating intently on the chocolate ice cream cone in his hand so that it didn't melt on him.

"Ludwig got King Dad to distract us so he could set all this up," Larry explained, looking a bit embarrassed. "And I fell for it. I'd be so annoyed that he got me – ME, of all Koopas – if I wasn't having the time of my life right now." He suddenly looked over. "Hey, Junior! Move your butt – I called dibs on the next game!"

This resulted in the youngest spitting his tongue out in retaliation. "Make me, Mohawk!" He then pulled out a tennis racket and gave him a challenging smirk. "Or do you wanna fight me for it?!"

Larry cackled, brandishing his own racket and pointing it at the youngest. "That's it! You're going down, squirt!"

"Well, hang on, before you start another match…" Iggy glanced between his two blue-haired brothers. "I mean, this is great and all, but don't you think this place needs a name of some sort? The author can't keep calling this place 'the room', especially not after we get to the next chapter, if it's mentioned again."

"Ignatius, you're not supposed to-"

Larry cut Ludwig off before the eldest could start ranting about breaking things that shouldn't be broken. "Yeah I think you've got a point… something simple, to the point." He glanced around the room, before his eyes fell on the small seating area and he nodded decisively.

"Larry's Lounge."

Iggy and Ludwig both grinned at the name.

"Perfect."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **I don't want to say that this chapter is weak, but I don't think it's very striking, either - perhaps it's because I've read it a few times, and maybe I should've split it into two parts, but I do like to examine the lengths Ludwig will go to help his family (while still being a jerk once in awhile because of course he is XP)**

 **I'm not sure why it doesn't seem as good to me, maybe it's the pacing, maybe it's all the characters around at once... but either way Larry's feeling a lot better now, and it's time to move on to the next sibling! ^^**

 **Also Mall Madness was a game I owned as a kid and idk why I thought it'd be hilarious to include it but just imagining seven brothers and a sister all playing a shopping game together entertains me XD**


	7. Chapter 7: Glass Half Empty

It had been four days since the nightmare simulation, and most of the group had finally begun to settle back into a normal routine, becoming more comfortable with being around one another – especially thanks to Larry's Lounge – and pushing their nightmares away.

Currently, Ludwig and Iggy were heading towards the pool at the back of the castle for a much needed break after a post-breakfast brainstorming session. The eldest had decided that today would be a day off from the emotional and psychological investment it took to assist his siblings. Sure, he'd only managed to help two of them so far, but he was downright drained from all the effort involved in making sure everything ran smoothly, and he knew he wouldn't be any good if he was too exhausted to think straight. Helping was hard.

Not to mention his _own_ concerns…

Iggy was a bit jitterier than he'd been in the past couple of days, jumping from topic to topic, but that wasn't anything too unusual, so Ludwig said nothing about it.

"Actually, as much as I hate to admit it, that was pretty clever."

"Vhat vas?"

"Using the Chargin' Chucks tournament that's coming up as a distraction." Iggy gave him a side glance. "Catering to our competitive natures to manipulate us into focusing on something else."

"Vell…" he smirked, still a bit surprised that the rest of them had fallen for that so easily, "I vouldn't say _manipulated_ , but von does not become a genius vithout learning how to bend individuals to zheir vill."

Iggy cackled. "You can say that again. Maybe we'd actually have a chance against those stupid plumbers if the rest of them weren't so gullible. Of course…" He gave a casual shrug. "You and I are far too intellectually gifted to let some simulations affect us so heavily, right?"

"…I suppose so." That should've been the case, but…

"You 'suppose so'?" If it had come from anyone else, it would've been pure confusion. But after putting up with his siblings for so long, it was easy to pick up the mocking undertones from the question. "Why, don't tell me the unbreakable, unshakeable Ludwig Von Koopa, eldest son of King Bowser Koopa and feared throughout the lands, is scared of a little _nightmare_?"

"Enough," he warned, "I vas ze von who ended ze simulation. Not you."

"Now, now, don't be so proud, _big brother_ …" Iggy waved his hand nonchalantly, and there was something about his smirk that came off of as unsettling, "Just because you were the first to acknowledge your fear vocally doesn't mean the rest of us are oblivious to our own."

"Do you mean to say you know of your fear?"

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. I'm just saying." The middle child paused at a crossroad in the hallway, glancing down the western path with amusement. "Why don't you just run along and keep playing the shrink? I'm sure the others will _love_ finding out that you're psycho-analyzing them under a microscope."

Now that caught Ludwig off guard. He hadn't told anyone about his plan in order to prevent any potential difficulties, and he knew Bowser would've kept silent too. "You know of my mission?"

"Please. As if you'd ever help Lemmy and Larry with their fears out of the 'goodness of your heart'. I know you and your intentions far better than you realize." He turned his shell to the oldest and began to walk off. "Now I'm not 100% sure what exactly you're attempting to accomplish, but I _do_ have my theories. And frankly, I don't want to be a part of it."

"Ignatius-"

He stopped, but didn't turn back around. "I'm not gonna say it again, Ludwig," he snarled, his previous amusement vanishing without a trace, "Stay away from my mind, if you know what's good for you. _Or else._ "

Ludwig said nothing more as Iggy continued to go on his way, though he did feel a mixture of annoyance and concern creeping into him.

 _Zhis may prove more difficult zhan I expected…_

 **XXXXXXXX**

The rest of the walk to the pool was uneventful, but Ludwig's mind was racing a mile a minute and he was too preoccupied to notice the argument that was already going on by the time he arrived.

Perhaps it was simply the fact that this kind of conduct was second nature, or perhaps it was because he'd convinced himself that today was his day off from worrying about his siblings' simulations, but the eldest sat down without even becoming aware of who was outside at the moment.

 _Vell it definitely vouldn't be vise to approach Ignatius about it any time soon… but I shouldn't put it off for too long, eizzer._ So much for getting a day off. _Perhaps he's simply defensive about it because he doesn't vant it to be used against him… he may be embarrassed by it, vhich is understandable, but his reaction to ze simulation vas more… melancholy zhan terrified… I may have to vait for a more opportune time before I approach him if I vish to learn about vhat is wrong vith him… vhich may mean approaching ze ozzers first undt giving him time to eizzer relax or vork himself into a corner. Ze latter vould certainly be expected of him if it upsets him greatly. It's just a matter of knowing vhen zhat vould be and capitalizing on ze opportunity. Zhen it vould just be a matter of taking advantage of my own stubbornness undt his instability to find out vhat his simulation vas so zhat I can assist vith-_

 _SPLASH!_

The huge wave of water that careened into his face was certainly a good way to jolt him back into reality.

Looking up at the scene, Larry was on his feet, Wendy sitting up beside him, and Roy stood at the edge of the pool, hands out as a large blob that could only be Morton sunk below the surface.

The water instantly became a cacophony of thrashing and waves as the burly Koopaling flailed about in panic, much to the confusion and horror of his siblings.

Larry was the first to shake out of his stupor. "Wait... Morton can swim, can't he?!"

Wendy could only glare at him furiously. "Well he's obviously not swimming NOW! Do something!"

"I can't lift him, not when he's like this!" Larry retorted. "Roy, you pushed him in, you save him!"

"He's fine," Roy rolled his eyes, turning around and walking away.

"If he was fine he wouldn't be flailing like a Cheep Cheep on land!"

With a smack to his face and a mind full of incredulity at his siblings' utter stupidity, Ludwig bolted for the edge of the pool, careful not to slip, the only thought in his mind as he dove in being:

 _I forgot my vater-proof hair spray today... My hair is going to get ruined._

He hit the water and the sting of chlorine instantly shot into his eyes as he looked around to try to get his bearings and figure out what was going on.

It was easy to make out the white, brown and grey mass against the light blue tile of the pool, and with a swift kick he rocketed towards his younger brother.

The moment he grabbed hold of Morton's arm, though, the Koopaling's struggles became even more violent, panicking to a sense of hysteria, and he accidentally smashed a fist into Ludwig's jaw, forcing him to bite his tongue to prevent himself from gasping and choking himself.

Dazed but determined, he allowed himself to sink, a firm grip on Morton's wrist, and when he felt his feet brush the bottom of the pool, the eldest pushed upward with all his might, shoving the younger Koopaling towards the sweet, sweet taste of oxygen.

The two of them surfaced with simultaneous gasps, Morton instantly coughing up water and struggling to breathe.

Carefully, Ludwig guided the large Koopaling to the rim of the pool, ignoring the blue hair that fell in his face and the strange sense of déjà vu that hit him.

Larry moved forward to help pull the two of them out, and soon the two waterlogged brothers were safe on the poolside, Ludwig on his hands and knees, hair dripping down, and Morton on his shell, a pained expression on his face as his panicked breaths gradually began to slow down.

Larry knelt beside them. "Are you guys alright?"

"Y-yes…" Ludwig spat out some more water, cringing at the taste. Morton didn't answer, too busy gulping in air.

"Like, what even happened?" Wendy had gotten up from her beach chair, concern on her face.

The eldest slowly shook his head and stood up, running a hand over his face to free it from the soggy strands. "I… don't know."

"I'm gonna go find Roy and see what's up."

"No, Larry!" The words were out before he could stop himself, but this time he was prepared for the outburst. "…you should try to find someone to clean up zhis mess. All ve need is for someone to slip undt hit zheir head."

His statement received no argument, and Larry went off to comply.

The two older Koopalings turned to the younger as he got to his feet, still coughing a bit. "Morton, are you okay?" Ludwig took a step forward. "Do you need to go to ze infirmary?"

"I-I'm fine! I'm fine, I'm… I'm fine." Morton slowly backed up, hands in front of him as he gave the pool a wide berth, trying and failing to look reassuring. "I just… I'm gonna… go get something to eat. I'm fine! I'm fine."

He bolted the moment his feet hit the stone path that lead back to the castle, clearly _not_ fine.

Wendy and Ludwig exchanged worried looks, but said nothing.

 **XXXXXXXX**

The two of them stayed put, making sure no one else could slip and potentially injure themselves, until Larry had returned with some of the cleaning staff. Then they re-entered the castle together, staying silent until they passed a large mirror that was hanging from one of the walls.

"Ugh… my poor hair." He glared at his reflection in the mirror as Wendy laughed behind him. The pool water had given him a bit of a wilder appearance, but he supposed that couldn't be helped.

"I think you just look a little-"

" _DON'T_ say it."

"Kooky," she smirked.

He groaned. "Yes. Because I have never heard zhat von before."

"Oh lighten up, Stiff-Wig." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Anyway, I hope Morton's alright. I wonder what happened."

"I have a theory, but I'd razzer take care of zhis dishevelled mess before anyvon else sees it. I can't believe I forgot my vaterproof hairspray today."

"Yeah, that's actually super unlike you. You're usually so meticulous with your morning routine." She tilted her head curiously. "Didn't sleep well or something?"

A scene of black goop consuming his siblings flashed through his mind, and he twitched involuntarily. "You… could say zhat, yes."

"Should've guessed as much. You probably overworked yourself as usual."

Ludwig didn't respond as they approached a crossroads in the hallway.

"Well, I'm supposed to check on the Blooper Squad today," she sighed, jerking a thumb towards the hall on their right. "So I'll be taking off."

"I vill see you later, zhen." Ludwig pointed to his cranium, a flat look on his face. He did love his hair, but the frizz was another story. And after the past few days, he was too emotionally drained to care. "I have a source of irritation to eliminate."

"I think that's a bit harsh," came the amused reply.

"You're von to talk. You should be grateful zhat you don't have zhis always veighing down on you." Ludwig spat, ignoring his sister's immature response of spitting her tongue out at him.

"Please, if I was in your shell, I'd never have let something like this happen!"

He began to back up towards another corridor, intent on heading off to his room for a shower.

"It's not your problem to deal vith, now is it?"

"I would've dealt with it years ago! Never have to worry about it again!" She waved behind her and began to walk off, while he paused to mutter to himself.

"Vell, better late zhan never, but I do hope no von sees... it vould be devastating to my reputation." He would've continued on, had a small gasp not interrupted his train of thought.

His wide-eyed gaze shot down the corridor on his left, the incident with Morton still so fresh in his mind that he panicked someone was choking.

Instead, his eyes met those of his youngest brother, who seemed utterly petrified at seeing him staring back.

Before the oldest could think to inquire what was wrong, Junior had already turned tail and starting booking it at high speed down the hall, faster than he'd ever seen him run before. A few moments later, and he heard the slamming of a door as Junior had presumably entered his room.

 _...vell zhat vas veird..._

Ludwig wasn't even able to begin to fathom what such an extreme reaction could've been, but he had a pretty good idea what could've caused it, and knew what he had to do.

...after he'd had a shower, of course.

 **XXXXXXXX**

As he was on his way to find Junior again, towel hanging around his neck, Ludwig heard the telltale signs of someone going to town in the training room. Curiosity got the better of him and he peeked into one of the large gyms, surprised to see Morton, his shell to him, whaling on Iggy's latest training bot with an intensity he hadn't seen from the chatterbox before. He was muttering to himself, but Ludwig was too far to hear what he was saying.

"Morton?"

"Ah!" Morton spun around with wide eyes. He instantly relaxed on seeing Ludwig in the doorway, and grinned, a bit nervously. "O-oh, hey Ludwig! You caught me off guard!"

"I noticed." He stepped into the gym, cautiously approaching his younger brother.

"I vanted to ask-"

"Hey, Morton! I just wanted to say-"

And, because timing is something that exists, Roy entered the gym from the opposite side at the exact same time, causing Morton to glance between the two. He seemed a bit wary, but not unfriendly.

Ludwig's reaction was quite the opposite, annoyance flaring. "Oh great. Ze riffraff has arrived."

Roy's face went from apologetic to aggravated in an instant. "What are _you_ doing here, Beethoven?"

"I vas attempting to speak to Morton but it appears zhat intelligent conversation vill have to vait."

The two of them approached each other, tension in the room rising, and Morton backed off nervously.

"Why don't you go slam your head against your piano, maestro? Since you can't stand being around the rest of us."

"At least I'm able to _use_ my head." Did he just insult himself in the process? "Your lack of zhought is going to get yourself in trouble, and I guarantee no von vill vant to help you."

Roy bristled at his harsh words, teeth gritted in fury, and looked like he was about to let Ludwig have it when his head suddenly snapped to the side and he took in the new addition to the gym. "…is that the new training bot Iggy just finished?" His anger suddenly vanished, nearly giving Ludwig whiplash from the mood swing. "Forget fighting Tubs over here, I wanna give this thing a go!" Roy turned to Morton eagerly. "Wanna tag team this bucket of bolts? I bet we can smash this thing to bits before lunch!"

Morton looked ecstatic. As if he wasn't talking to the brother who had nearly drowned him not even an hour earlier. "Oh sure, Roy! I-"

"Actually, ve vere just leaving." Ludwig's voice was cold, but he didn't dare turn to the shaded Koopaling to look him in the eye as he spoke. "You are free to use ze simulator if you vish."

Utterly confused, Morton was left speechless for a few moments – long enough for Ludwig to grab his arm and start to drag him off.

"…oh. Ok, then. I guess one on one is cool, too."

"Ah, sorry, Roy! I'll join you later!"

"Sure."

The door slammed shut behind them and Ludwig allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief as they stood in the thin, white hall that would lead back out to the main pathways. All he needed was that walking time bomb to interfere with his carefully crafted plans…

Seeing as his brother was silently waiting for an explanation, Ludwig cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Morton, I vould not risk it. Ze training bot is still new and could be dangerous if pushed unnecessarily."

"But we were using it fine! Iggy tested it a bunch, and you tweaked it! Besides, if that's the case, wouldn't it be smarter to make sure Roy doesn't get hurt and-"

"He can handle himself!" Ludwig really didn't mean to be so intense, but Morton had to know that Roy was extremely unpredictable. Who knows what damage he could cause? "Vhy do you bozzer hanging out vith him anyvay?"

"Wh… wait… what? Ludwig, what are you talking about?"

That comment wasn't supposed to have slipped out, but his mouth wouldn't stop as he began to vent. "He does nozzing but harm ze vons he's supposed to care about. Zhat doesn't sound like somevon vorth being around."

Confused and hurt, Morton took a step back from the harsh accusation. "But… we're brothers. He doesn't hurt us on purpose… most of the time, I mean… are you okay? You seemed almost jumpy back there!"

"Zhis isn't about me. Zhis is about you." Focus. Relax. Control yourself. "I did not come here to discuss our siblings. I vish to speak vith you about a sensitive subject… if you'd be villing to do so, of course."

Morton stared at him for a few moments, regarding him with what could only be described as a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and suspicion. He really shouldn't have lashed out like that; it would only prove to make his mission more difficult. If anything, Roy's interference could've just cost him the opportunity to figure out what was bothering Morton. At least he'd managed to prevent Larry from looking for that maniac, but he should've remembered that the two of them were close brothers. If someone tried to get between them, it would certainly arouse suspicion. He wouldn't be surprised if Morton had completely clammed up and left at this point.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

…well that was easier than he expected.

Steeling himself, Ludwig decided to cut right to the chase, in case the hothead attempted to interfere again. Keeping his voice low, just in case, he tried to be reassuring and empathetic. "I vas concerned about your earlier panic, and I vanted to make sure you vere alvright. You seem to be vell, but… if you vish to speak about it, I'm here for you."

As expected, Morton's expression went from mostly curious to uncomfortable and nervous.

"It's… a really stupid reason. Obviously I don't mind talking, but… this isn't something easy to talk about. I don't wanna be made fun of." He blinked in realization. "No wonder you didn't want to be around Roy, then. You really are perceptive!"

 _Sure. Let's go vith zhat._

He was about to open his mouth in reply when he heard a group of minions chattering as they passed the door that lead to the cramped hallway. "Vhy don't ve head over to my composition room? Ve are less likely to be overheard zhere."

This received a relieved nod, and off they went, Ludwig leading the way with only a few cautious glances behind to make sure a certain pink-headed sibling wasn't tailing them.

 **XXXXXXXX**

The moment Ludwig locked the door behind them, Morton was off spewing what was on his mind from where he sat on Ludwig's bed. The eldest took his place on his piano bench and turned towards his younger brother to give him his full attention.

"But I mean you'd probably know about this already… so you remember when I was writing about what happened when I was three?"

Ludwig blinked in confusion, wracking his brain for what he could've been talking about.

It hit him rather quickly. "Ah, yes. Vhen you undt Roy vere wrestling outside – you took his sunglasses in order to claim victory, undt he proceeded to push you into ze moat." No wonder he'd felt déjà vu earlier. The situation was almost identical, seeing as he was also the one who had saved Morton from the moat.

"Yeah, it kinda started out the same way, but it wasn't Roy who had pushed me in…" That got his attention. Who else could it have been? "It was Mario."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _We were all fighting against the Mario Brothers on this small island, and there was water all around us. You and Iggy and Lemmy and Junior were fighting Luigi, and I was fighting Mario with Roy, Larry, and Wendy. And they were beating our tails pretty good._

 _So you and Luigi have this HUGE lightning fight and it's super cool and flashy, but a bunch of it ends up in the water and it's all supercharged._

 _Then Mario runs forward and smacks Larry and Wendy with a Tanooki tail, hard enough that they go flying back._

 _And I can see them falling backwards towards the water, and Roy and I are both terrified since it's all electrified now. So we race forward, and Roy grabs Wendy's hand, and I grab Larry's, and we both pull them forward, but I pull Larry too far to the left, and I'm falling forward and I'm waving my arms to get my balance back, and I don't fall in. Larry is super happy that he's safe and so is Wendy and Roy is making sure they're both okay while I try to take a step back away from the edge._

 _And then Mario runs up and kicks my shell from behind and I fall face first into the water._

 _It didn't hurt too badly at first – I was all static-y from the water and I could feel myself getting paralyzed, but I could still swim._

 _But then when I tried to go up I couldn't._

 _And I fought and fought and I tried to call for help but I only got water in my mouth._

 _And then something grabbed my ankles – they felt like my cuffs – and locked and I tried to break the metal but it was too thick and they pulled me down until I couldn't see and I couldn't breathe and I wanted to get help but I couldn't._

 _Then I hit the bottom and it was all mud and I sunk in and it went over my head and I just kept going down and down and down._

 _And all I could do was keep my mouth shut and cry._

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Yeah I know there aren't chains and stuff underwater, but I guess anything can happen in a nightmare, right?"

Ludwig stared at the wall as Morton waited for a reply. This was much different from Lemmy and Larry. This was a nightmarish fear of something that could legitimately happen. And Morton was fully aware of it.

No wonder he couldn't stop the simulation.

He couldn't even breathe.

"I'm not afraid of water or swimming or stuff in the water, but… I don't like it." Morton shuddered. "I'll swim if I have to, and I don't mind it once in a while, I guess. Drowning, on the other hand… you can't talk _or_ breathe! It's the worst!"

 _I suppose Iggy vords had some merit, after all…_ "Vell… zhat is true, on certain occasions…"

"And I know there's water you _can_ breathe in, but how am I supposed to know which one is which?"

"Closed bodies of vater tend to be lacking ze oxygen needed for us to survive."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a few moments. There was nothing he could do to reassure Morton that his fears were unfounded.

So, he did the next best thing.

"You may not be able to completely avoid it, undt your fear is legitimate. But I can assure you zhat ve vill not allow zhat to happen."

"But what if you're not there?"

A reasonable question. "Zhen you need to be avare of your surroundings. Calm yourself enough to make a rash decision. You are good at verbal communication, and I assume your zhoughts function ze same vay as your mouth. Use zhat to your advantage to talk yourself zhrough a bad situation and regard it carefully undt logically. If zhere is a vay in, zhere is almost alvays a vay out." Ludwig shrugged. "Besides, your lung capacity is utterly superb. You could probably hold your breath for over five minutes. More zhan enough time to vork out a plan."

Morton really seemed to think about that. "Yeah, I… I guess you have a point."

"Of course, precautions are also necessary." Ludwig glanced over at him. "If you'd like, I can look at attempting to design a specialized rebreather for you to keep in hammerspace, should you vant me to."

He lit up and grinned excitedly. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course."

"Man! You're the best big brother ever! Who cares if the others think you're an overbearing snob?"

Ludwig chose to ignore that. "You may want to consider getting some rest. You appear to be exhausted."

Morton nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I've been having the nightmare ever since the experiment. But now that I'm gonna have a rebreather, I might actually be able to get some sleep for once! This is so exciting! I wonder if it'll work on mud, too… I could be a mud shark and sneak up on people! Oh maybe it'll work on the poison swamp water everyone's always wondering what's in there I could make a huge discovery and everyone will think I'm super smart of course I'll give you credit Ludwig since you'll be the one who made it possible I can't wait to finally beat this nightmare this is gonna be awesome-"

And on and on he went, right out the door, rambling without a care in the world as Ludwig began to nurse a headache. A custom rebreather should be simple enough – it would most likely only take him a few hours.

 _But as much as I'd prefer to take care of zhis immediately, zere is somevon else who needs my attention first._

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Switching up the formula this time, in more ways than one! Morton has a simpler fear - at least simpler to figure out. Unfortunately, it's not as grounded in mental anxiety as much as Larry and Lemmy, considering how legit it can be. But if you think all Ludwig is gonna do is make him a rebreather and that's it, well... you may want to reread Larry's chapters ;3**


	8. Chapter 8: Afraid Of You Too

As much as he wanted to focus on simply helping Morton – thankfully, a plan was already forming on an easy way to assist the chatterbox with his fears in addition to the rebreather – Junior's earlier actions warranted too much concern to simply pass off as nothing.

In all fairness, he probably should've gone to confront Junior after helping Lemmy, considering he would've been the next most susceptible to fear and probably a simpler one to console, but the youngest hadn't exactly been easy to locate after the Chain Chomp incident. He hadn't been in any of his usual spots and even the minions couldn't recall seeing him, though they promised to alert Junior of his desire to converse should they come across him.

Of course, at the time, Ludwig hadn't thought anything of his disappearing act. It wasn't unlike Junior to hunt for a quiet spot to paint whenever inspiration struck, and he'd started becoming quite adept at inventing for being only five. He wasn't anywhere near himself or Iggy at his age, considering the two of them were the ones who typically brought his grandiose ideas to fruition, but his blueprints were certainly somewhat thought out and, at the very least, much more creative than their father's typically obtuse designs.

He searched and searched, growing increasingly confused at the fact that his little brother had vanished so completely, until the smell of paint hit his nose and he glanced over to a nearby door that he didn't recognize, down a hallway he rarely visited, mainly because it was used for cleaning supply storage. It was open just a crack, allowing him to peak in.

There were paint cans strewn about, half-finished canvases lining the white walls and random art supplies scattered around the floor. Bowser Jr. had his back to him, swiping violently at a canvas that was clearly not designed for such abuse, as there were numerous rips and scorch marks painting it, alongside a various mishmash of colours that clearly weren't blending together.

That in and of itself set off alarms in his brain, especially considering that the youngest always criticized the rest of them for being 'artistically challenged' when it came to painting.

"Junior?"

"Ah!" The youngest dropped his paintbrush in his shock and it splattered against the stone, red paint oozing over the tile.

Ludwig slowly slipped inside, closing the door behind him. "Junior, are you alvright? You seemed very petrified earlier."

"Y-yeah! Yeah, I'm okay!" He glanced around the room, seemingly searching for something with urgency.

Ludwig tilted his head in confusion. "Are you looking for somezing? Perhaps I may assist?"

"N-NO!" He took a step back, holding his hands up reassuringly. "Ah, no, it's… it's good! Just, ah… um…" He paused for a moment, seemingly unsure of himself. "Why… why were you so upset, earlier?"

"Ah." Ludwig waved his hand dismissively. "I forgot to put my vater-proof hairspray in, undt zere vas an… incident at ze pool zhat forced me into ze vater." He rolled his eyes. "Courtesy of Roy, of course."

"Oh. Heh… I should've… guessed as much. Um…" Junior swiped up a tube of royal blue paint, splattering it on the canvas. He made a few seemingly random brushstrokes – although it could just be his lack of painting expertise – stared at the colour, glanced back at Ludwig, looked back at the colour, and then flung his palette and his paint brush and his tube of paint across the room as if they'd burned him. He grabbed the canvas and stared at it intently.

"Junior, is somezing bozzering you?"

"No!"

"Junior." The five-year-old was starting to really worry him. "Is zhis about ze simulation?"

He refused to face him. "Look, just…" His voice cracked. "J-just leave, okay? Please?"

"I'm not leaving until you tell me vhat is vrong."

"No no no I said I'M OKAY!"

And with a violent surge, he slashed right across the painting, creating a huge diagonal gash right through the royal blue paint, sending wet acrylic flying in all directions and forcing Ludwig to take a step back in shock.

"Please…" He was starting to sound choked up. "Please just leave… Please…"

"…You know I am not going to hurt you, Junior. I vould never allow anyzing to do so, so long as I could."

That seemed to tear it, and Ludwig was suddenly being charged by the youngest, who latched onto him with a tackle that would make a Chargin' Chuck proud, paint-covered and sobbing, blubbering into his shoulder but never losing his tense posture despite that.

Ludwig didn't speak, didn't move, until Junior finally pulled away and rubbed at his eyes with his paint-stained bandana. It was incredible that he managed to keep the paint out of his eyes, though there was a streak of orange dangerously close to doing so.

"I know. I know." He sniffed, wiping his nose on his arm and ignoring Ludwig's cringe of disgust. "It's just… promise you won't get mad."

"I promise."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _There was a monster after me. I could hear its song. I knew it well._

 _It was mad at me. It hated me. It only wanted to hurt me, and everyone else told me so._

 _I had tried to be its friend. I had tried to be nice. But the more it saw me, the angrier it got. The scarier it got, even though I couldn't see it. I could never see it, but I knew it was there._

 _I went to the others, and they believed me. They believed me, but they were too scared to do anything._

 _I tried to leave it presents, but it ripped them. Burned them. Turned them into dust._

 _Then something was taken away from it and given to me, and the monster finally snapped._

 _I tried to tell it that I couldn't help it, that I wanted to give it back. That it wasn't my fault. But the monster refused to listen. The monster chased after me, and promised to hunt me down and make me pay._

 _I ran and ran, trying to hide, trying to call for help, but all I could hear was the monster's song. I don't know how, but I knew the monster had convinced the others to help it. Maybe it had scared them. Maybe they wanted to help._

 _I don't know._

 _I wanted to find someone, anyone, but no one would come. They all ran from me, as if I was the monster._

 _Then the monster wanted to end this. How, I didn't know. I ran before I could find out. I ran and ran, but the monster was stronger, faster, and smarter than me. It knew me well. Too well. So I ran until I couldn't run anymore._

 _All I could do was hide in my room, under my bed, and wait for the monster to come._

 _But it was worse than any monster, because even though I couldn't see it, I knew what it was._

 _I knew who it was._

 **XXXXXXXX**

"…I knew it was you."

During his mission so far, there were many things he hadn't expected. He hadn't expected Lemmy to be so trusting of the rest of them. He hadn't expected Larry to own up and not make excuses to invite everyone. He hadn't expected Morton's conversation to go so easily.

But this? This couldn't have been worse. To be so determined to help his siblings overcome his fears only to discover that the youngest was afraid of…

Ludwig himself.

Well that was counterproductive.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **DUN**

 **DUN**

 **DUNNNNNNNN**

 **I'd like to know how many of you saw this coming XP**

 ** **Also, if anyone is curious, I don't take writing requests, or art requests for that matter, but if you were wondering about that, then I'm honoured that you consider me good enough to ask! ^^ Sorry, and thank you! :3****


	9. Chapter 9: Glass Half Breathable

**This chapter was actually pretty challenging to make. Not because of what to write, but because I've read it so many times that I'm convinced it's poorly done or just kinda plain and nothing special XD I actually recommend rereading the last two chapters if you haven't seen them in awhile just because it helped me put everything into context. A much larger chapter, and the next one should be up by tomorrow!**

 **XXXXXXXX**

After discovering what Junior's fear truly was, Ludwig wisely chose to leave right away, knowing that sticking around and trying to argue the fact that it wasn't true would simply make things worse. Junior needed to be alone right now, and away from him. He could respect that.

It made sense, now that he thought about the simulation itself… The last thing Junior would probably want to admit – other than losing, of course – would be that one of the few people he trusted and respected was going to turn on him.

And screaming 'I'm scared Ludwig's going to hurt me' isn't exactly something that would go over well with a minion who happened to be under said Koopaling's jurisdiction – if he even knew that Fizzlip was involved in the first place.

The fact made the eldest wonder just how much Junior really knew about the simulation. Did they know Fizzlip couldn't hear them unless he activated a comms link, like he had for his own room? The replays had been silent, but did he know the room was soundproof, too? Probably not, otherwise he would've gotten it over with.

But sometimes saying it out loud was much more terrifying.

Unfortunately, this wasn't going to be a quick fix situation like Lemmy's and Larry's and hopefully Morton's. Regaining his brother's trust and confidence would take months, maybe even years to repair. And he certainly wasn't about to stage a fake disaster just to get Junior to trust him. No, he was going to have to let time heal the wounds and be smart when it came to future interactions.

Not like the latter part was a challenge.

 _I should focus solely on Morton for now, zhen... Attempting to resolve both at vonce vill prove detrimental. Alzough…_ Ludwig lit up. _Perhaps I could invite him along for Morton's plan; show him I mean him no harm…_

So, with that thought in mind, he spent the rest of the day going through the castle, a notepad in hand and a brown satchel slung around his shoulder, collecting everything he would need to help Morton, and then some. Currently, he was rummaging through a power-up storage closet, searching for some particular items to assist with his plan. On finding them, he gathered the needed amount into his bag and left the closet to continue on his mission.

"Hey, bro. What's with the list?"

Ludwig glanced up, pocketing an ice flower in the process, to see Wendy regarding him curiously.

"Ah, nozzing too urgent. I'm simply making sure I have enough supplies for a karting expedition zhat Morton, Junior, undt I vill be embarking on, vonce I confirm zhat zhey vish to tag along."

"Ooooooh can I come?"

She was suddenly in his face, and Ludwig blinked in surprise at her eagerness. "Vhy?"

She flicked her wrist in annoyance. "Daddy's like, _trying_ to drag me off to some totally boring conference thing with a bunch of the princesses to plan out the next golf tournament, and I do NOT want to go. I'm sure if I told him you invited me for some 'family bonding' junk there's no WAY he'd say no!"

"…right." Not that he minded the extra company, of course, and it would definitely be reassuring for Junior if more of them were along for the ride. "If he allows you to come, zhen I see no reason to refuse your inqviry."

"Great!" she chirped, a bit too cheerfully for his liking, "I'll get some of the Paratroopas to move my Cat Cruiser to the loading bay!"

"Uh… alvright…" He said nothing more as he watched her turn and skip off, her bow bouncing with every step and her heels rapidly clicking against the stone.

 _Vell zhat vas… veird._

 **XXXXXXXX**

Sure enough, only an hour went by before she confirmed that she would be tagging along, thanks to her… ahem… 'pure daughterly charm', which really meant one of two things: she had either given Bowser the puppy dog look, or she had thrown a tantrum to get her way. Regardless, Ludwig could tell that something was a bit off about the whole situation, but he chose to say nothing about it for the moment. Better to leave it for another day – he was already mentally juggling two siblings' problems at once, and putting a third on his plate would only serve to further divide his attention and distract him from making sure everything was running smoothly.

Going over his notes, he ran through the checklist as he approached a set of steel double doors. The airship was stocked with everything they'd need, with a few extra supplies in case the group decided to camp out for the night. It was only supposed to be a day trip, but he wasn't going to object to the idea of staying longer if the rest of them wanted to. A bit of fresh air would do them all some good, anyway.

Morton had been easy to convince – he was eager to get out of the castle for some racing action, as expected, and had begun rambling about his favourite kart, the City Tripper. An odd choice, considering how much he tended to gravitate towards the standard ATV, but he insisted that that particular kart improved his mobility with higher speeds. Personally, Ludwig preferred his Mach 8.

Shaking the kart conversation from his mind, he looked up at the doors and glanced over his notes one last time. Everything was set. All the supplies were gathered, the plan was sound, and Morton and Wendy were both tagging along with no strings attached or arguments to be had or conditions to remember. A rarity, for certain.

So that just left the youngest. And, as cruel as it would be, there was only one way to guarantee that he'd accept it.

It was currently late in the afternoon. Typically, Junior would be using this time to help their father with robot designs before supper, meaning that they were most likely in the large workshop that rested behind these doors.

With a deep breath, he steeled himself, pun intended, gripping the right door's metal handle, and with just a moment's hesitation, he opened it and slipped inside.

Considering the fact that he typically preferred to keep his mechanical inventions compact, and that he had his own personal workshop at his disposal, it wasn't often that he set foot into the hangar-sized robot construction studio. The last time he'd been inside, they had been putting the finishing touches on the Boomsday Machine – which puts into perspective just how large the workshop really was.

There was a mass of metal and cables in the centre of the room at the moment, and both Larry and Iggy were standing before it, deep in conversation as they walked and pointed to different parts of the currently unassembled invention, going from parts to wires to control panels to computers that were set up on the other side of the hangar and back again.

Close by, off to his left, Bowser and Junior were examining what appeared to be blueprints for some sort of offensive tower. Neither of them seemed to notice his arrival, and he knew the feeling quite well. Once you got focused on a project, hours could go by in what felt like seconds.

As much as he hated to interrupt the inventing process, especially since his inquiry may ruin the flow altogether, it was imperative that he take advantage of the situation at hand.

"Fazzer. Junior." They started at his voice, and glanced back as he approached. "May I interrupt for a moment?"

With an easygoing shrug, Bowser folded the plans in half and ruffled the eldest's hair, much to his annoyance. "Sure, Ludwig! What's on your mind?"

With an irate swat to free his locks from the massive hand, he regained his composure and addressed the youngest, face as unreadable as ever.

"Vendy, Morton undt I vere journeying to Alpine Pass tomorrow morning for some kart racing. I vanted to know if you vished to join us, Junior."

Junior's face had gone from slightly wary to looking like a Paratroopa that had just lost his wings.

"I… um…"

"You should go, Junior!" Bowser grinned, not giving the youngest a chance to decline. "You haven't had a lot of time with the others lately and when you're not with me you're cooped up in your room. It'll do you some good!"

"But… the project-"

"-already got your seal of approval, remember?" Bowser patted his head reassuringly. "Your old man's got this. Larry and Iggy are doing most of the brainy stuff anyway!" He cackled lightheartedly, nudging the youngest forward. "Go get ready and enjoy yourself. And make sure you win!"

"Y-yes, Papa…" Junior scuttled out the door, looking rather worried but trying his best to hide it.

 _Perfect._ Just as he had hypothesized. Unfortunately, Junior would probably spend the rest of the day anxiously worrying about tomorrow, but that couldn't be helped. Thankfully for him, Ludwig hadn't even planned anything basic to help him overcome his fears, so the nervous expectancy would be the worst thing he'd have to experience. There was too much to focus on with Morton's plan, anyway, and Ludwig intended to spend most of the night pouring over every little detail and working hard to make sure it was prepared to perfection, much like he had done with Lemmy and Larry.

Simply put, the eldest didn't have time to worry about Junior's emotional state at the moment.

As he made to follow his younger brother, Ludwig could've sworn that he saw his father wink at him, and he did his best to hide a smirk.

 _Huh… Perhaps he_ is _smarter zhan ve give him credit for…_

Ludwig was just grateful their dad was on _his_ side for this. The last thing he'd want was for the shoe to be on the other foot… but it's not like _that_ would ever happen, right?

 **XXXXXXXX**

It was a beautiful day for flying – the skies were clear and there was little turbulence, so there was no problem with leaving the ship on autopilot and enjoying the view. If everything went as smoothly as this ride was going, it would end with two siblings assisted at once, one of which he didn't even have to do anything for. Ludwig was grateful for his analytical nature and for the fact that his mind never shut down. It made problem solving a lot easier in the long run. Sure, maybe plain old family bonding at the castle would've been a lot simpler, but he felt confident that his current plan would yield the best results.

He also knew that if he had told anyone about what he was planning, he'd be chastised severely and threatened with a room in an asylum. But I digress.

Ahead of him, at the bow, his three younger siblings were gathered together, chatting idly. Junior had been sticking close to Wendy and Morton since they began their journey, and Ludwig didn't blame him. This _was_ his airship, after all. Even from here, he could still see a nervous gleam in his eyes. He could only imagine the constant nagging feeling of uncertainty.

 _You don't really have to_ imagine _it, considering vhat's been happening over the past few days…_

The memory resurfaced before he could stop it, and he was just grateful that none of the others could see him flinch.

 _After finalizing the preparations the night before, he had been on his way to his room to get ready for bed when a sudden shout had interrupted his thoughts._

 _"_ _Ugh, you stupid-!"_

 _Curious, the eldest had peeked around a nearby doorway, wondering who could be up at this hour –besides him, of course – and was surprised to see Roy facing a punching bag, forehead resting against it, posture defeated._

 _He appears to be troubled…_

 _He wanted to speak up, he really did, but something about the darkness and the way his fists clenched in silent fury stopped him._

 _"_ _Stupid, stupid, stupid…" He hissed, voice muffled by the bag._

 _…_ _is he alvright?_

 _"_ _Stupid…"_

 _Nein, I'm sure he's fine._

 _"_ _Stupid!" He wheeled back and started hitting the bag in rapid succession._

 _Just leave him._

 _WHUMP!_

 _He should be alone._

 _WHUMP!_

 _It's all that he deserves._

 _"_ _GRAAH!" WHUMP!_

 _It's safer that way._

 _WHUMP!_

 _After all, he's just a mon–_

"Hey, Ludwig, why didn't you bring Roy with us? He loves the Rocky Mountains."

Ludwig jumped at his sister's sudden inquiry, shaken from his thoughts, and spun around to see the three of them staring at him inquisitively. He hoped he didn't appear too frazzled.

With a hum of agreement, Junior added his own question to the mix. "Yeah, what's the deal? Didn't you ask him if he wanted to come?"

 _Of course he'd be qvick to jump on zhat… to be fair, it vould give him more peace of mind, but I need zhis plan to go smoothly if I am to assist Morton undt reassure Junior zhat I have no ill intentions against him…_

"I… didn't zhink it vould be necessary." Of course it wasn't necessary. All he would need was that idiot ruining his perfect plan, yet again. And it wasn't like this would've been a perfect opportunity to ask him about his simulation. It wasn't like he had gone up to him to ask about it, trying to be calm, only to second-guess himself at the last minute for whatever reason. Multiple times. It wasn't like he was _nervous_ around the hothead after… well… the incident. That was ridiculous.

 _Relax… It's fine… he von't be suspicious… it's not like he's noticed anyzhing's wrong. He's too stupid for zhat._ The thoughts kept coming, reassuring him that there was no need to be worried. _He von't do anyzhing unexpected. You've got everyzhing under control. You always do._

Giving his head a quick shake to reaffirm himself that Roy's confrontation would come in due time and he'd deal with his concerns later – there was no reason to rush, after all – Ludwig tried to give his siblings a reassuring smile. "He's on zhese mountains all ze time. I'm sure he von't feel left out, and I doubt he'd be villing to allow us a handicap. After all, ve're here for some fun, not a vicious competition."

They seemed to buy it, although there was a confused glance exchanged between them before they turned back around, and Ludwig let out a sigh of relief.

 _Everyzhing is fine._

 **XXXXXXXX**

After landing the airship on the top of the mountain, the four of them pulled out their vehicles – Junior's being a dark green pipe frame – and rolled them up to a makeshift starting line. Ludwig hid a yawn – even after retiring to his room after checking on the supplies, he'd been up into the wee hours of the morning yet again, pouring over every detail of his plan, double and triple-checking his list, making sure nothing was amiss.

The Rocky Mountains consisted of various racetracks, including a few officially sanctioned courses for the tournaments, such as Mount Wario further down the range – which served as his Gold Mine during the summer months – Maple Treeway, Mushroom Gorge, and the aforementioned Alpine Pass (more commonly referred to as Rock Rock Mountain, but since it was a little redundant in the fact that it was already on the Rocky Mountains, Alpine Pass was the alternative name given to it). There were also plenty of local tracks and offshoots that weren't used for official races, so there was always something new to discover.

"Vhy don't ve start vith Alpine Pass for now, undt zhen ve vill go from zhere?"

"Sounds good to me," Wendy smirked, "You boys are going down!"

For the first time that morning, Junior lost his anxiousness and let out an eager cackle. Nothing like a little friendly race between siblings to help you forget your troubles. "You wish! If anyone's gonna win, it's gonna be _me_!"

Ludwig gestured out over the racetrack. "Zere von't be any item boxes, but I've commissioned a few local Lakitu to keep an eye on us in case von of us gets lost or goes over ze edge, so do not concern yourselves vith zhat."

The three of them nodded, and there were no more words as Ludwig began the count down, engines revving in anticipation. He could already see the telltale yellow and green and white of a Lakitu hovering in the sky, and he felt even more reassured.

"Zhree!"

"Two!"

"Von!"

"GO!"

 **XXXXXXXX**

The race wasn't nearly as intense or exciting as the tournaments, of course, but given their competitive nature it was still pretty heated, what with Wendy knocking him off the track more than once and Junior taunting them all with his horn whenever he managed to take first place. They heard that horn a lot during the first match.

And sure enough, after a quick three laps, Junior was the winner. The others weren't fazed by his celebrating, as there were still plenty of races to be had. Instead of being sour, the older Koopalings simply grinned at each other in determination and sped off to the next starting line, leaving Junior to scramble into his kart and desperately try and catch up to them.

Any anxieties that any of them may have had were lost to the thrill of the friendly competition. Even Ludwig started to relax, the beautiful scenery of the mountainsides and luscious forests inspiring new compositions that he made sure to make a note of when they had a moment to relax.

Of course, the plan was still lingering in the back of his mind. He had a job to do, after all, and for as much fun as they were having, he knew it would have to come to an end soon enough.

He just had to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Morning became noon, and then afternoon. The four had paused for a brief snack between races before continuing on, and they found themselves barrelling down a multi-path track through a large group of trees. It was slightly muggier here, the damp ground that their tires flung into the air indicating a recent rainfall, or perhaps even a small flood.

As they met up, with Wendy in first, Junior in second, Morton in third, and Ludwig in last, the eldest took notice of a hidden path off to the side.

"Don't take ze left!" He called up to them.

Morton heard him just fine, and Wendy didn't hear him at all as she drove past the aforementioned detour.

Junior only heard 'left', and when he saw the path, he instantly swerved to take it, thinking it was a shortcut.

 _Oh of course._ "Junior!"

Morton had been too close and far to the right side of the track to be able to stop him, so Ludwig swerved after him, speeding as fast as his kart could go.

There was mud everywhere. This particular trail had been subject to numerous landslides over the past few weeks, and thanks to Ludwig's research, he knew that there was a small offshoot that came up just before the landslide zone that would take them back to the main track should any of them get stuck on here.

The only problem now was getting to Junior before Junior got to the affected area.

Ludwig silently berated himself for forgetting to warn them about this important bit of information regarding this particular track. He would've been far less concerned had the others not told the Lakitu to take a break, since, in their minds, there weren't supposed to be any drop-offs on this course.

Ludwig shoved a hand into his satchel and pulled out three mushrooms. He was very glad that he had brought the bag along, and he used the item to quickly catch up, startling the youngest in the process.

"HEY!" Junior's gaze was nothing but accusatory. "You said there were no items!"

He ignored the complaint. "Zere's a landslide ahead! Ve need to detour!"

"What?" Kart motors were really too loud for this sort of thing. "I can't hear you! What did you-"

"PULL OVER!"

Junior huffed. "No! I don't wanna lose! I told Papa I'd-"

He glanced back just in time to see the road ending, having been taken out by a landslide, and his small eyes widened in panic as he slammed on the brakes. His tires slid on the wet earth, refusing to respond to his incessant demands for reduced speed to prevent him from going over the edge. Pipe frames were never good when it came to traction, unlike his Mach 8, which halted almost immediately at Ludwig's request. Thinking quickly, Ludwig returned to his satchel and threw a lightning bolt at the out of control kart.

It and its driver shrunk to miniature size, greatly cutting its speed and giving Junior enough time to veer off into some nearby grass, where he plunked gently into a tree. He returned to normal size seconds later, and stared back at the oldest with wide eyes, panting heavily from the adrenaline.

Ludwig simply gestured to a nearby trail. "Come on, zhis vay should lead us back to ze ozzers."

 **XXXXXXXX**

"There you guys are!"

When the two emerged from the forest, they saw Wendy and Morton waiting for them, the former with her hands on her hips, and the other completely covered in mud.

"Morton's bike lost control and he drove into a huge mud puddle," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "It wasn't enough to make him crash or anything, but I'm not letting him anywhere near me until he cleans up."

"Zere should be a small village not terribly far from here," Ludwig suggested, "Perhaps ve could head zhere?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Wendy and Morton remounted their karts and lead the way. In theory, it probably would've been a better idea to go to the airship. He was really starting to think about his plan now, especially after Junior nearly drove off a muddy cliff. It wouldn't be a good idea to force them to go back if they didn't want to, though. They seemed like they wanted to keep racing for a bit longer, and he didn't want to come off as insistent or make them suspicious.

From the front of the pack, Wendy suddenly called out to them. "I'm running low on gas, guys! Maybe we should head back up instead!"

Well that worked out.

"Take ze upcoming path on ze right!" Ludwig shouted down to her, "It vill go right to vhere ze airship is located!"

She gave him a thumbs-up, and Ludwig was about to yell something else when a bug flew into his throat.

 _Note to self…_ he grumbled, coughing and spitting in disgust, _Install a communications device on ze karts. Undt perhaps get a scarf._

"Ze trail is a bit thinner!" he added with a hack, "Be more careful!"

"Got it!"

Within minutes, they had driven up the winding road and had returned to the airship. Wendy took a moment to refuel, while Junior got a bottle of water, Ludwig inspected the vehicles for any potential damage – particularly making sure Junior's was alright after the lightning strike – and Morton gave himself and his City Tripper quick rinse with the airship's built-in hose.

"This is really fun!" Morton grinned, turning off the water. "I really, really needed this break, I mean it's been so long since I've been able to have a nice friendly race! Let's keep going!"

Junior shrugged, rubbing at his forehead after finishing his drink. "I don't know, it's kinda hot now and I wanna relax for a bit."

"You're just saying that because you won the most races and you don't want us to catch up!"

Junior didn't reply to Morton's good-natured accusation, but the smirk on his face was more than enough to prove him right.

"Hey! There's a lake down there!" Wendy pointed towards a small valley at the base of the mountain, where a thin waterfall was emptying into. "I could totally go for a dip. Waving around a little hose just doesn't cut it, y'know."

Ludwig glanced down, fighting a smile.

Bingo.

 **XXXXXXXX**

The valley was full of lush trees, with a clearing for the airship to land safely. The lake had a dock that jutted out close to the centre and the water was crystal clear, full of colourful fish and freshwater plants.

The group exited a few yards away from the shoreline, and Ludwig watched as Morton nervously glanced at the water before turning to Wendy to ask her something.

"Ew, Morton, gross!" Wendy reeled back in disgust before he could even speak to her. "You've totally got leaves and mud in your teeth from earlier!"

"Oh man, I do?" With only a bit of hesitation, the bulky Koopaling crossed the dock and knelt down at the water's edge, grimacing at the sight. "Ugh I totally do! How did I not even notice that it's my teeth you'd think I'd be able to feel something like a leaf stuck in my mouth never mind that many of them and it's all over my mouth too why didn't you guys say anything earlier?"

Ludwig went up beside him, inspecting the reflection as Morton quickly reached into the water to clean his face. The eldest did a quick scan, and, after making sure there was nothing harmful in the water, he pulled a blue object from his bag and braced himself for what he was about to do.

 _Now or never._

"Morton," he began, refusing to give into the sudden thought that this was a terrible idea and would only result in more psychological trauma, "Do you trust me?"

His voice carried over the water, his question heard by his other siblings too, much to his chagrin. It caught the attention of all three of them, and Morton tilted his head in confusion, glancing back towards the eldest. "Uh, yeah of course I do! What kind of a question is that? You've had my back plenty of times before why wouldn't I trust you?"

In answer, Ludwig crushed the blue object in his hand, feeling a chill run down his neck. He then took a step back, swung his foot as hard as he could, and kicked Morton square in the shell.

The force made the younger Koopaling to lose his grip, causing him to pedal forward with a surprised yell and splash headfirst into the water.

He heard Wendy gasp from behind him. "Ludwig! What are you doing?!"

Face stoic, he allowed the effects of the power-up to come to fruition and, with a deep breath, rapidly shot freezing blue spheres over the lake, coating the entire surface in a thick sheet of ice and trapping his younger brother down below.

"MORTON!" Junior screeched.

The eldest said nothing, simply staring down at Morton with a face as cold as the ice before them, refusing to break eye contact with the chatterbox and ignoring everything else that was going on around him.

By this point, Wendy and Junior had reached the end of the dock and were staring through the ice, dumbfounded and horrified. They could see Morton's wide, panic-filled eyes through the crystal sheet, bubbles surrounding his face as he desperately clawed at the thick, cold barrier between him and sweet, sweet oxygen, yelling all the while for help. At the terrifying sight, Junior stumbled back and started sobbing, curling up on the wooden platform.

Wendy spun to look at Ludwig and started furiously screaming in his ear. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" She grabbed at him and shook his shoulders, anger spiking immensely on seeing no remorse or emotion whatsoever on his face. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Nozzing is wrong vith me!" Ludwig winced at the assault on his eardrums and seemed slightly offended by the question, as if he couldn't imagine why she was so upset. He backed away from her, rolling his eyes. "He eez fine!"

"HE IS GOING TO _DROWN_!"

Junior, meanwhile, had returned to the end of the dock and stretched his head as close as he could to the icy surface, trying desperately to spit up some fire but crying too hard to be able to do so successfully. His sobs intensified as they saw their brother slowly begin to sink, shell turning towards them as his body drew closer to some small splashes of colour that were presumably fish.

"You… you just…" Junior choked on his words, trying to comprehend what was happening, while still clawing at the ice in a feeble attempt to break through, tears dripping onto his hands as he did so.

Wendy didn't even bother trying to speak again. Instead, she flung herself forward, tackling the eldest, causing his satchel to fling off of his shoulder land on the wooden boards with a _whump_. She and Ludwig were both sent flying off of the dock from the force of the impact, and they landed on the frozen lake, sliding across the ice in a mess of blue, yellow, and pink. Landing on his shell, he kicked himself away as she swiped her claws at him.

"GET HIM OUT. _NOW_."

Ludwig shook his head, slowly getting onto one knee. "If I do, ze project vill-"

She launched at him again, cutting him off with an enraged shriek. "YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU DID THIS FOR AN _EXPERIMENT_?!"

"NO!"

It was a mess. Junior was sobbing and Wendy was trying to beat him up and Morton was floating alone down there and if they just gave him a _second_ to control the situation maybe he could explain-

Blue eyes blazing in fury, Wendy attempted to swipe at him again, being much more maneuverable on the ice than he was. "I can't BELIEVE you!" Her face was dark, filled with hatred. "You're worse than the Mario Brothers EVER were!"

Well, that was a line that was crossed.

He felt his own anger spike, and he slammed his foot onto the ground before she could circle around for another attack, causing the ice beneath them to rumble. It wasn't as powerful of a shockwave as what Roy or Morton could do, so the surface didn't crack, but it was enough to sweep his sister off of her feet and knock the wind out of her.

"ENOUGH!"

He stood in the middle of the frozen lake, glaring at them both. They glared right back, though the youngest's eyes still had tears alongside his fury. He took a deep breath, and forced his emotionless demeanor to return.

"Vendy. Junior." His voice was far too calm in their opinion, given the situation. "Do you honestly zhink I vould allow harm to come to von of my own siblings? Zhat I vould villingly allow him to suffocate after saving him just von day before?"

Junior finally found his voice. "What-What do you-"

He gestured to the frozen surface in reply. Underneath, Morton could be seen happily swimming away and chatting excitably at some Cheep Cheeps.

They didn't understand, the female Koopaling wracking her brain for an explanation. _Chatting? How can he be-_

Ludwig's voice cut through her thoughts, but she didn't dare look at the eldest in case Morton started to struggle again. "Zere are two types of bodies of vater on zhis planet. Von you cannot breathe in-"

She gasped in realization, tears pricking at her eyes in relief as her hands went to her mouth. "Oh my goodness…"

"-Undt von you can."

From underneath the water, Morton seemed to notice their presence and glanced up, waving at the three of them with a large grin on his face before something else caught his attention and he swam off to explore.

Relieved that he could now explain, Ludwig started to head to the sandy shoreline. He moved carefully, as the heat of the day had already begun to eat away at a bit of the lake's icy edges.

"I vould never endanger my siblings in such a horrific manner," he explained, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice, "I do not understand vhy you vould be so qvick to jump to zhat conclusion."

There was no response. With an internal sigh, Ludwig begrudgingly realized that they weren't about to let go of this so easily.

 _Very vell… If I must…_

"…My apologies for terrifying you. But if I had informed you of my plan beforehand, you may have attempted to interfere."

He expected more silence.

What he got was a hand slapping against the side of his head, hard.

"OW!"

Glancing back revealed that Wendy had caught up to him, relief having been replaced by fury, once again. "Don't you EVER do that again, you hear me?!" she shrieked, voice echoing through the valley, "You gave us a HEART ATTACK!"

"I simply vanted to assist him overcome a prior concern!"

"We thought he was a GONER thanks to you."

"I had ze situation under control, Vendy," he spat, "You are a logical zhinker. I vould've expected you to have a bit more confidence in me."

He noticed that she was trembling, though whether it was from anger, relief, exhaustion, or the cold wind coming off of the frozen lake, he didn't know. "I'd expect you to have a plan that didn't make you look completely INSANE. Why would you EVER think that this would go over well?!"

With a huff, he ignored her, instead choosing to return to the dock, passing Junior on the way, who scuttled away from him and rushed over to Wendy. He dug through his abandoned satchel and procuring another power-up. As the adrenaline rush from his brief duel with his sister ebbed away, Ludwig crushed the fire flower in his hand, using its ability to expel a large stream of flames from his mouth.

The thick ice melted away in mere seconds. Morton popped up eagerly moments afterward, grinning from ear to ear. His teeth were chattering slightly, but he was breathing fine as he swam clumsily towards the shore.

"Guys!" he called, radiating happiness, "Guys you can totally breathe in this water! It was awesome!"

Wendy grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, Junior quick to join.

Ludwig watched them from his place on the dock's edge, wisely choosing to stay back. Their sister would probably pummel him if he tried to approach, and he didn't want to risk getting horribly injured so far away from home.

"You've gotta see it – There's so much cool stuff down here!"

The female Koopaling stared at him before letting out an exasperated moan. "He could've totally drowned you! He trapped you under the ice and just stared at you as you freaked out! How are you not completely peeved at him right now?"

Staring back with confusion, he responded as if the answer was obvious.

"Because I trust him."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **How many of you expected Ludwig to fake drown his own brother? Did I throw you for a loop? I hope so!**

 **I normally use the City Tripper whenever I play as Morton, which is why I gave him that bike! X3**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^**


	10. Chapter 10: Forced Confrontations

The group had moved away from the lake, the three younger Koopalings sitting together on a log. Junior was sitting away from them, far on the right, while Wendy checked their soggy sibling for any potential injuries as he explained how he had felt. Ludwig was tending to a small fire a few feet in front of the trio, his shell to the group, listening carefully to the chatterbox's explanation.

"Yeah, I mean, it was scary at first…" Morton's voice was a bit muffled as he rubbed a towel over his face. "But when I started rambling about how was I ever gonna get through the ice, I realized that… well… I was rambling! I was talking and I wasn't getting water in my mouth and I could breathe! I mean, when he shoved me in I knew there had to be a reason, he wouldn't just try and drown me or anything since he saved me yesterday." He pulled the towel off of his face and grinned at Wendy. "He's our big brother. He wouldn't hurt us."

"Still," Ludwig could feel her glare shooting daggers at his shell, "A _warning_ would've been nice."

He rolled his eyes, not that they could see it. "As I said – if I had informed you of my plan, you vould have only gotten in ze way. I knew vhat I vas doing."

She simply shook her head in disgust and glanced past Morton to look at Junior, who hadn't said a word ever since the larger Koopaling had been freed from his frozen 'prison'. "You okay, little brother?"

"Y-yeah, just…" The youngest wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. "I just wanna be alone." With that, he got to his feet and quickly rushed off towards the airship.

Wendy snarled at Ludwig once again, who had turned to face them on hearing the pain in Junior's voice. "See? Look what you've done! You've up and traumatized him!"

"I didn't mean to frighten anyvon!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have come up with such an IDIOTIC plan!"

He folded his arms with a huff, backing away so that Morton could warm up.

"Ze plan vorked perfectly."

"Don't talk to me."

Her anger elicited another eyeroll from the oldest, but he said nothing more.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Ludwig and Wendy had both returned to the airship after a few more minutes – separately, of course – leaving Morton outside, alone with the fire.

For the past half hour, the eldest had been busy checking the calibrations on the airship, making sure it was still running smoothly. He knew it would be – what with how meticulous he was – but he found that going over the pinpoint calculations and programming helped him unwind.

The numbers that he had long ago memorized played out before him. Engine conditions, fuel capacity, structural integrity, electrical response time… he revelled in the consistency of the ship's schematics. They were always constant, always the same. So much unlike the people he had to deal with on a daily basis and their ever changing moods. Why couldn't people be so easy to memorize, so easy to understand? Maybe Morton would still have had a fear of water and drowning, but he also wouldn't have had to deal with Wendy exploding at him in rage.

 _I don't understand vhy she insists on being so furious vith me,_ he thought to himself, a bit resentfully, _Morton is fine. He is_ fine. _In fact, he eez better zhan fine. He has begun to overcome his fear. Vhy should zhat cause her to become provoked?_ He closed the panel door before heading off towards his room to begin planning his next move. None of the remaining options were exactly appealing at the moment. _She is being so overdramatic. I had everyzhing under control._

Sure, the water would've gotten freezing cold, and there could've been something dangerous that he hadn't seen, or he could've gotten the wrong lake since he'd only been here once before, and yeah that had been years ago, and maybe Morton could've panicked like yesterday, or there could've been an underwater current that would pull him into a cave, or he could've gotten stuck in the ice, or Ludwig could've lost his fire flower during his scuffle with Wendy if his bag hadn't flown off his shoulder when she'd tackled him, or they could've gotten really hurt from the duel, or a local could've seen him and assumed the worst, or one of them could've run off and called their father and told him what he'd done, and it wasn't like Junior's nightmare had anything to do with him hurting anyone-

…Wait.

What _had_ he been thinking?!

Realization struck him like a boot to the head and he had to smack a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from gasping in horror, while he slammed a shoulder into wooden wall of the hallway as his knees nearly gave out from under him.

Wendy was right.

Wendy was _right_. This _had_ been an incredibly stupid plan. There were so many uncontrollable variables that could've gone wrong. That could've gotten him hurt. That could've gotten his _brother_ hurt. Why hadn't he realized that before now?

He certainly hadn't intended to hurt Morton, and sure, the Koopaling was clearly fine, but the more he thought about it and pinpointed even more potentially devastating flaws that could've occurred during his 'brilliant' plan, the more furious at himself he became. _No vonder she was mad…_

And then when he remembered that, for the whole thing, Junior had been sitting there, sobbing and probably reliving his worst nightmare, watching as his oldest brother became a horrible monster that wanted nothing more than to hurt his siblings...

It made the gravity of the situation that much worse.

 **XXXXXXXX**

He hated being wrong. He _hated_ it.

He was a genius. He shouldn't have even considered the plan. He should've, at the very least, tested the water first and confronted Morton alone, encouraging him and being right there alongside him instead of essentially repeating yesterday's incident and cranking it up to eleven, with spectators to boot.

With spectators who were _terrified of him_ to boot.

Why, why, _why_ had he thought that it was a good idea to bring the others along?

Ludwig found his sister typing away at a console in the wall, focused on what she was doing. He wasn't sure what it was – perhaps she was posting about his complete stupidity. He wouldn't blame her.

His foot hit a loose floorboard, and the creak made her glance up in alarm, before her face went hard and she started to walk away.

"Vendy, vait, please."

Maybe it was the hint of desperation in his voice, or maybe it was the guilt in his eyes. Whatever it was, she complied, facing him with hands on her hips, expression stony. "What."

He glanced off awkwardly. "I… vanted to apologize. You vere right."

"Don't apologize to me," she snapped, turning her shell to him, "Apologize to Morton."

He dipped his head. "I alvready did, I can assure you." Mere moments before approaching her, actually. He'd been very understanding, even appreciative of his willingness to help him.

But that didn't make it right.

She didn't reply, but she wasn't walking away, either, so he continued on, a bit hesitantly.

"I promise… I had no ill intentions. I simply vanted to help Morton overcome his fears. But zhere vere too many unknown variables, undt I… I simply did not zhink zhings zhrough, as you stated before."

There was a long pause. The last thing he wanted to do was create divisions between himself and his siblings, especially since he hadn't had the opportunity to help Wendy yet.

Hopefully this wasn't going to impede that.

"Why."

He started, nearly backing up, confusion setting in. "…vhy vhat?"

"Why didn't you think things through?"

Her voice wasn't as harsh as before, but he wasn't going to take that for granted. She was already suspicious of him, and he couldn't blame her, not after today.

"I… do not know," he admitted, "It seemed like such a flawless plan at ze time, undt I vanted to complete it as soon as possible. I guess I just… overlooked ze obvious in my haste."

She didn't say anything at first, digesting what he had said. It was true – he _had_ rushed to get everything together, and hadn't accounted for how Junior would react, given that his simulation had only involved Ludwig hating the youngest, not anyone else. And while he had been sure that everything else would've been fine, that he'd had the right lake, and that there wasn't anything harmful in it…

Everyone makes mistakes.

"…you really haven't been sleeping at all, have you?"

This time Ludwig did step back, and as she turned around he could see the frustration behind her eyes, though it was subdued and her gaze wasn't nearly as accusatory as before.

"Vhat… makes you say zhat?"

"Because both you and Iggy are exactly the same," she explained, arms folded and voice a bit harsher than he'd like, "You go days without getting enough sleep because you think you're made of invincibility stars, and then you try and come up with these 'great' ideas that have super obvious flaws that even _LEMMY_ could point out, and when things go wrong and we get mad, you get all defensive and don't realize what the problem is until you've had time to really reflect on it."

Man. She could read them like a book.

"I… _may_ have been getting less zhan adequate sleep…" he mumbled, refusing to look at her again. And that _may_ have been because he'd been too busy coming up with plans to help the others the past few nights.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She was in front of him faster than he could process, and he felt a hand grip his shoulder with fierce intensity.

"The next time you're planning on trying to fake drown somebody, _please_ give us a head's up. You're gonna give Junior nightmares." Her grip weakened, and Wendy's face softened to a sympathetic expression. "We're your siblings, Ludwig. We can help you more than you'd think."

"…if it's any consolation, I don't have anozzer reason to pretend to endanger somevon. I didn't have any intentions on endangering anyvon in ze first place."

"How reassuring." She suddenly shoved him around and began to push him towards the airship's bedrooms. "Now, you're going to take a nap, while I make sure Morton hasn't gotten hypothermia from his unexpected ice bath."

"But-"

"But nothing. The ship isn't going to explode. I'll get Junior to wake you up when dinner's ready. And yes," She held up a hand before he could argue. "I know you were going to take care of that, but I'm not a terrible chef. I know what I'm doing."

He dug in his heels. "Just… vould it be possible for you to do so instead? I… don't zhink Junior vould be very eager to see me, not after vhat I did to Morton."

"…alright. That's fair. I'll get you up, then." She continued shoving him down the hall. "But you'd _better_ get some sleep, or else. You were off your game yesterday too, and if I have to deal with this a third time-"

"Alvright. Fine. I get it. Sheesh."

As they went down the hall, Wendy going on and on about how it wasn't her job to make sure he was well rested, neither of them noticed the small green head poking out from around a corner, with ears that had been listening to every word.

 **XXXXXXXX**

When Ludwig woke up from his nap, the sun was starting to set, the mountain sky a vibrant orange. It took the eldest a few bleary seconds to register everything, and something stood out to him almost immediately.

 _She did not come to wake me…_

A glance at the clock revealed that that was probably because he'd only been asleep for two hours or so. Still, he felt a lot better now, and his focus seemed to be coming back to him. His mind wasn't racing with thoughts of plans and decisions and fears nearly as much, but there was definitely one thing that wasn't going to leave him alone until he dealt with it properly.

He slowly got up from his bed and turned to the window, stretching his arms. As he did so, his dark eyes landed on a small figure that was sitting alone on the edge of a cliff, a few yards away, shell to the massive ship, legs dangling off of the edge.

Ludwig bit his lip. He doubted the youngest wanted to see him after all he had done, but…

The least he could do was apologize.

So, with a bit of reservation, he slipped out into the hallway, fully aware of the fact that if Wendy caught him she'd drag him by his hair back to his room. It hurt his head just thinking about it.

He didn't know where the two of them were – perhaps the kitchen? Morton was a pretty decent chef, at least by their standards, so maybe he was helping Wendy with supper if she'd deemed him fit enough to work.

Actually, on that note… he was surprised that she had been so insistent to make the food for them. Normally she'd cringe at even the thought of getting her claws messy, and trying to get her to do something herself when she could get someone else to do it for her was borderline impossible at times.

Well… no sense in worrying about that now. It _was_ just the four of them, so maybe she just knew that it had to be taken care of and no one else was going to do it.

He reached the side exit of the ship and slipped out into the crisp evening air, the door letting out a loud creak as it clicked shut.

Ludwig froze. The youngest didn't look up, but it was loud enough for him to have heard it. He paused, thinking of how best to approach. He didn't want to startle him, especially with how close he was to the edge.

"…Hey, Ludwig."

Instead, Ludwig was the one caught off guard. How'd he know it was him? _No, focus…_ if he didn't speak or got distracted, it would just make this more awkward. He hesitantly approached, staying a few feet back, before taking in a deep breath. No time like the present.

"Junior, I'm sorry about vhat I did to Morton… I vas helping him vith his fear, undt… I didn't zhink-"

"You didn't think we'd freak out, I get it." The youngest sighed, unmoving. That wasn't what he was going to say, but he didn't bother correcting him. "I don't wanna admit it, but… I _was_ scared. I realized after I had a minute to myself to think about it that it was just another crazy plan, and you never would've brought me along if you really wanted to get rid of me, because you never would've let me see you pretend to drown Morton. You're too smart for that."

…Okay, maybe it _was_ a good thing that he hadn't confronted Morton on his own. Still could've handled it better, though… "I just didn't vant to imply zhat I vanted to harm anyvon. Especially vith vhat you said about your fear."

"Ludwig, look." Junior looked back and stared up at him. "I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. I trust you. You've proven it so many times before. But I was too busy trying to make you like me in the daymare that I didn't think to say what my fear was to make it stop." He glanced down at his feet, ignoring the sheer drop before him. "I don't want you to hate me, Ludwig. I know you don't, but sometimes…" He flinched. "Sometimes it's just… hard for me to know what you think of me. Of any of us. I mean, you don't have to be like Lemmy, but… you don't have to be so cold all the time, either."

Eyes widening in shock, he couldn't find the words to say as Junior continued on.

"I don't know why you're always like that, and it's just… hard to know if you care about us." He paused. "Well… hard to know if you care about me, anyway, since the others all knew you long before I came along and they don't seem to feel the same." He folded his arms, glancing up slightly before his head snapped to the side to look out at the sunset. "Sometimes I blame you for that, and I think you're just being a butt and you've always been this way… but sometimes I wonder if it's… if it's because of me that you're so cold. If I'm the reason you seem to be so distant from everyone."

Junior's eyes met his, determinedly refusing to waver again. "And I don't want who I am… or what I caused… to get in the way of us being family. Of us being brothers." He winced slightly, as though he seemed to be remembering something he didn't want to think about, but he didn't voice whatever had crossed his mind.

Ludwig finally found his voice. "Junior, zhat vasn't your fault."

"I know it wasn't. At least… _that_ wasn't. Sometimes it's just…" He sighed. "Sometimes it's just easier to blame someone else. I should know."

Where was all this wisdom coming from? First Bowser, then Wendy, now Junior… was there a meeting or something and no one had told him? Five-year-olds should not be this smart – sometimes it felt like the youngest was the most mature out of all of them.

Junior stared off at the scenery, trees and valleys and orange sky. The eldest wondered if he was getting inspired for a painting.

"I just can't tell what you're thinking sometimes, and that scares me. I don't know if you're happy or mad or whatever – this whole day was supposed to be fun, and your face was as bland as Roy's mushroom soup."

Ludwig gasped in disbelief. "Vas I really zhat bad?" That was a pretty extreme comparison, even by his standards.

The youngest nodded, smirking at Ludwig's horrified expression, a bit of pride in his eyes that he'd finally managed to elicit some sort of visual response. "Even when you saved me from driving off the edge, you barely had any emotion at all. It was…" His smirk vanished. "It was really…" He paused, frowning in concentration, trying to think of the right word.

"Unnerving?"

He nodded. "Yeah. And when you don't react to stuff like that, as scary as it is, it just makes me wonder what you really think about me."

They lapsed into silence, the youngest steeling himself for what to say while the oldest berated himself for coming off as so uncaring.

Finally, Junior spoke up again, voice barely a whisper.

"…I'm scared that you hate me, Ludwig. I know you wouldn't hurt me, but… would you hate me?"

"No." He went up and sat next to him immediately, placing an arm around the youngest and pulling him close. Thinking carefully, he gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I don't hate you. I don't blame you for vhat happened, and I can guarantee you zhat ze ozzers don't, eizzer. You had no control over it, and I, of all Koopas, could never blame you for somezing zhat you had no control over."

Junior winced again, and Ludwig briefly wondered if there was more to this than he was letting on. But the youngest still didn't elaborate. Instead, he got to his feet, stuck out his hand, and held it there between them, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"So… brothers?"

Ludwig stared at the slightly smaller Koopaling for a few seconds, mentally digesting everything before finally nodding with the faintest of smirks, imitating Junior and completing the handshake.

"Brozzers."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Don't feel like you have to understand what Junior is talking about or what he's thinking – we're not quite there yet XP Also I feel it's quite fitting that Ludwig considers Junior to be a Koopaling X3**

 **Since we've been reading from Ludwig's point of view, the reader gets all of his internal emotions, his thought processes, and his feelings. But for the others, he comes off as emotionless as usual. I consider Ludwig to be very stoic, and when he does show emotion – minus anger – it comes off as very subdued compared to the others. So for a five-year-old with a family of mostly crazy siblings, well… you can see why he'd think Ludwig hates him. Unlike the others, he's never known Ludwig to be anything but stoic and emotionless. As an artist, he's constantly looking for all those little details, which Ludwig rarely shows around others, keeping his emotions to himself. So this has probably been bugging him for a while now.**

 **I'm worried I didn't spend enough time on this chapter?Hopefully it's okay... gonna take my hiatus and hopefully have more content afterwards!**


	11. Chapter 11: Comparison

**I made a poll! You can find it on my bio: After OBC2 is finished, what would you like to see next? If you'd like to, please go check it out! Thanks!**

 **XXXXXXXX**

Too big.

Too unsettling.

Too… constipated.

A growl of frustration escaped his lips. He had several patents, dozens of published symphonies, hundreds of other songs and inventions, and was one of the castle's most powerful warriors.

Trying to smile in a way that didn't make him look like a serial killer should NOT be this difficult.

After meeting with his youngest brother, the group had had a surprisingly delicious supper courtesy of Wendy and Morton, before Ludwig had flown the airship back home under a clear, starry sky. He'd contemplated staying the night, but the others had insisted on returning to the castle to sleep in their own beds. He couldn't blame them – it had been a very, _very_ long day, and Morton probably needed to be checked out by the MediKoopas, just in case there had been some adverse side effects to the eldest's… ahem… 'help'. Ludwig had actually gotten quite a full night's sleep, waking up a bit later than usual, much to his surprise. He'd opted to have breakfast delivered to his room so that he could get to work and focus on the task at hand, which was, at the moment, him trying to take Junior's advice to heart and become more expressive.

Keyword: trying.

It aggravated him to no end that he was incapable of contorting his facial muscles in a way that came off as natural. His siblings had often teased him about his stoic expression, saying that if he kept scowling his face would become stuck that way.

Apparently there was more truth to that than he had initially thought, because his 'happy' expressions were varying between murderous and choking on a piece of steak.

The others would've been having a field day if they could've seen him. He could only imagine the blackmail potential and he silently praised himself for having the wisdom to do this in the isolation of his turret bedroom as opposed to his music room.

"I look less pleased and more like I'm trying to impress a dentist…" he grumbled to himself, rubbing saliva from the corners of his mouth in annoyance. This was beginning to look absolutely hopeless. His form of expression was musical, not facial.

With a sigh of resignation, the eldest stepped away from his mirror and looked over at the large, open closet behind him. It was filled to the brim with papers, and a few suits hung neatly from a thin pole that was far too high up for someone without the ability to flutter jump.

The formal wear sparked a new idea in his mind, and he hummed to himself thoughtfully.

 _Vendy spends enough time in front of a mirror to be able to make a career out of it… perhaps she may be able to assist me._

Of course, that was only if she wasn't still mad at him. That girl definitely knew how to hold a grudge… just last week she'd thrown a fit when Kurachi the Goomba had simply commented that her bow would look better if it was lower on her head, and she hadn't spoken to the minion for three days after that.

Granted, the female Goomba _had_ also worn a similar style bow that day, so maybe _that_ was the problem. Who could say?

Ludwig sighed. He would never understand females. They were so… _weird_.

But she _was_ his best bet at trying to improve his expressions. Her tastes were almost as impeccable as his – most of the time – so perhaps she had some tips on being expressive in a more subtle manner. He'd never be like Lemmy or Morton, but at the very least he could _try_ to look a bit more pleased – if only for Junior's peace of mind. And who knows, maybe the minions would stop looking like they were about to wet themselves whenever he walked into a room while he was deep in thought.

Eh, that one didn't concern him as much.

Ludwig briskly made his way through the hallways, which were surprisingly devoid of minions. There was the occasional Goomba or Koopa Troopa, but for the most part the eldest found himself navigating the hallways alone.

"Vendy, are you available at ze moment?"

"Come in."

He complied, slipping into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Zank you. I vas hoping to get your assistance vith something. It's–"

The words died in his mouth when he saw the tears rolling down his sister's face.

Well this was going to be a little awkward.

He nearly growled at himself. _Priorities. Expressions can vait. Not zhat zhey are zhat imperative anyvay…_

"What did you need, Ludwig?"

How she made her voice sound so calm while being in such a state was at the very least impressive, if not somewhat concerning. Had she done this before? Had she been utterly distraught without anyone being aware of it?

The thought made his insides churn.

"It's… nozzing of great importance. Are you alvright?"

"I…" she paused. _I'm fine, leave me alone._ That was the answer he expected to hear from her, anyway, even though it would've clearly been untrue. It was asked more as courtesy than anything, and he honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to get involved in her teenage drama in the first place.

"I don't think so, Ludwig…" she admitted, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. Her face was hesitant, and it almost looked… guilty. "I… may need your help."

One would think that after losing Lemmy in a crate, building Larry his own club where he could lock himself in for days, nearly 'drowning' Morton, and risking scarring Junior for life, she would've been a lot more cautious about accepting his help.

Granted, she didn't know about the first incident, but the point still stands.

"Vell… I'm more zhan villing to assist you."

"As long as it doesn't involve dumping me into a frozen lake."

His flat expression snuffed out any feeble attempts at humour, and she let out a wistful sigh.

"I know. Too soon."

"I'm surprised you are even villing to allow me to speak to you, vhat vith how furious you vere over Morton's incident."

"You say it like I didn't have a right to be. We know you have good intentions, but your plan was stupid, plain and simple."

"Yes, ze realizations vere painfully obvious."

"You slept, right?"

"Yes." Despite the rather precarious situation, he found himself chuckling at her insistent tone. "Aren't I supposed to be ze von assisting you?"

"Someone's gotta put your ego in your place, and with how Roy's been the past few days it most certainly isn't going to be him."

The offhanded remark received a snort of derision.

"He's been nozzing but a nuisance."

Wendy didn't respond to his surprisingly bitter comment, and he watched as she bit her lip in hesitation.

Finally, she spoke up.

"...Ludwig, I get that this may be a weird question to ask, since you're my brother and all, but..." She glanced up at him, blue eyes filled with worry. "...do you think I'm ugly?"

"VHAT?!" The eldest bristled instantly, mind flashing back to when his siblings had sought solace during their nightmares. Had it only been about a week ago now? It felt so long since that night. "Did your old boyfriend tell you zhat?!"

"No, no, nothing like that..." Her voice was quieter than usual, hesitant, timid, and her entire demeanour was all around very un-Wendy-like. "I just... need to know."

"No, of course not!" He shook his head vehemently, loose strands of hair smacking against his face from the fervour of his response. "Vhat in ze vorld vould give you zhat idea?"

"Well, it's just..." She glanced off to the left, staring at nothing. She seemed more melancholy than upset at the thought. "All the other Princesses... Peach, Daisy, Rosalina... girls like Pompom and Toadette... they're all prettier or cuter than I am."

His face darkened considerably. Normally if someone insulted Wendy, well - she certainly didn't take it lying down. She'd beat you to the ground and then some. She was annoying at times, and quite a stuck up brat, but she was confident and stood up for herself. He couldn't even begin to count the number of minions who had gotten sent to the infirmary just from being on the wrong end of her wrath.

So seeing her so lost and unsure ignited a brotherly fury that he hadn't felt for a very long time. Trembling slightly, he looked her in the eyes and spoke with a low, dangerous tone.

"Who DARED speak to you in such a manner?"

She stared back, as melancholy as before, not even the slightest bit surprised at his anger. But what really sent him for a loop were the words that next came out of her mouth.

"Really, if you think about it... I guess it's what I told myself."

 _I was part of a princess pageant. Each of us was supposed to hold a delicate pose, and we weren't allowed to move. If we did, we would be disqualified._

 _Peach and Daisy and Rosalina were there, along with other princesses from other Kingdoms._

 _I could hear the judges complimenting the other girls, going on and on about how radiant they were._

 _They said I wasn't beautiful._

 _They said I was just a villain._

 _They said I wasn't a princess._

 _All I could do was close my eyes and simply take it._

 _The insults got worse and worse._

 _Ugly. Grotesque. Darkland freak._

 _And it would've been so easy for me to storm off and leave._

 _But I didn't dare move..._

 _I didn't move because if I did... well..._

 _It would've proved them right._

"So..." she glanced down, "I guess it's how I feel about myself. I mean, compared to Princess Peach and the rest of them... I really am ugly."

"You look fine, Vendy-"

"But nobody LIKES me, Ludwig!" She suddenly shouted, voice cracking, "It's not just about looks! Yeah, I know that sounds strange coming from me, but like..." She glanced down at her lap, voice dropping to a whisper. "I have an ugly personality, too." Tears began to form in her eyes. "N-nobody can stand me. They all think I'm just an annoying, stuck up brat who needs to be put in her place, and you know what? They're right." The tears began to fall, dripping down her cheeks. "Th-they're all right, and I'm stuck sitting there, doing nothing, b-because no matter what I say or do they… they're never going to change their minds."

He couldn't say anything to that. He himself had thought the exact same thing just minutes before. He could try to deny it, but it would sound forced and do nothing to alleviate her pain. She was highly adept at reading emotions, and she would know if he tried to play it off as nothing.

The truth hurts, as both of them knew very well.

So instead, he went up and sat down beside her, ignoring the headache that was beginning to form from being surrounded by so much pink. He wrapped his right arm around her and pulled her close, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder and the tears to drip down his scales as she quietly sobbed, wracked with pain.

They must've sat like that for a good five minutes before he finally opened his mouth.

"Mozzer never zought you vere ugly."

She didn't move.

"Vhen you vere born, she couldn't be happier. She vould dress you up undt alvays say zhat you vere her perfect little girl, ze cutest Koopa Princess in ze vorld." Despite the situation, the tiniest smile had made its way onto his face. "Vonce or tvice, since your room vas so close to mine back zhen, I vould listen to her tucking you in, my head pressed against ze vall. She vould alvays tell you zhat you vere so beautiful, so special, undt even vith your... condition, you vould alvays be pretty so long as you did your best and took care of yourself. She vould say how all ze makeup in ze vorld vould never give you true beauty... zhat you had to be beautiful on ze inside, undt you vould glow just enough zhat ozzers could see your true beauty. Not everyvon vill see ze glow, but zhat vas okay, so long as you could see it. Undt you vould say..."

Wendy's voice was but a whisper. "...But what if I lose my glow, mama?"

His grip on her shoulder tightened slightly. "Undt she said... if you ever lose your glow, just take a breath undt do somezing kind. Your glow comes from how you treat ozzers. Not how you look."

"...I haven't seen it for a long time, Ludwig." The tears had stopped coming, but the despair remained. "I've been a horrible sister, and I know that. I've... always known that. But I can't let myself be stepped on, what with battles to fight and like, seven brothers to put in their place."

Ludwig didn't respond.

"But mom said..." She sniffled. "She said I can be strong and still be kind. I just... have to know when to switch."

She sighed and slowly sat up, slightly shaking her head.

"...thanks, Ludwig. I needed that." Wendy glanced around her room, puffy, red eyes looking a bit lost, but with a hint of determination in them as well. "It... might take me awhile to get my confidence back, but I'll try to be a better sister. A better person."

He shook his head. "You vork hard to protect us, undt you do not hesitate to put us in our place. You are alvready a good sister, Vendy, undt if no von else can see zhat... zhen zhat is zheir problem." He suddenly smirked. "If anyzing, you are more powerful zhan ze ozzer princesses combined. No von else can bend Fazzer to zheir vill like you can. Not even Princess Peach."

She snickered slightly. "...I guess you have a point there." She watched him get up to leave, and smiled, genuinely, for the first time in a long while. "Thank you, Ludwig. I really do mean it."

When he turned back, he smiled in return, and felt happiness course within him at the faint glow she had finally started to emit again.

"...I know."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **I hope the whole 'glow' thing makes sense - you know, when people are so happy they're 'positively glowing' or whatever? Kinda like that - it's metaphorical, not literal lol XD Wendy isn't a nightlight! Just took it to a 'if you're kind, you'll be happy' kind of level, and that adds to your inner beauty, even if you don't think you're beautiful on the outside.**

 **Idk I'm not too sure with this chapter. Wendy was one of the more difficult ones to work with... I can definitely see all the negativity  
getting to her, while she feels like she has to act that way, what with seven brothers. She does get hated on quite a bit, and I think she's got a lot of potential. It's just kinda... stuck under multiple layers of brattiness.**

 **Ah well. I'm just gonna roll with it, I guess!**


	12. Chapter 12: Sister Recon

**There's a poll on my bio for what story I should write next! Feel free to let me know!**

 **Make sure you're in desktop mode if you're using a mobile device!**

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Larry, I need a favour."

He had found him relaxing alone in his new hangout, listening to a Koopalia CD he'd ordered a few days ago. Ludwig glanced at the cover for the briefest of seconds, taking note of how one of the members was charged with electricity, another was surrounded by a force field, and a third was engulfed in flames.

 _Thunderhand does_ not _look like zhat_. But he digressed. There were more important matters to attend to.

The second youngest glanced up in surprise, pulling his headphones down to hang around his neck. Ludwig wasn't one who typically asked for things, so it was a bit of an understatement to say that he was caught off guard by the sudden request. "Uh, sure. What's up?"

"I need you to acqvire somezing from Vendy's room."

Normally he wouldn't have the foggiest idea of what to do in this sort of situation, but he'd spoken to Pom Pom earlier in hopes of sparking some inspiration. As eager as she was, she hadn't had many ideas on what he could do to help her, and he was beginning to think he simply had another Junior case on his hands. She had finally recalled her doodling in a journal once – it didn't seem like anything of note, until she said:

"Yeah, I don't know why, but it almost looked like a design for a Goomba or something. She'd put it away and totally roasted me for snooping before I could get a good look. You think she'd be a little less secretive around her best friend." Pom Pom had sighed in confusion at that. "And it's, like, super weird to me… if she wanted to design fashion, why not just do it? She's got more style than she does clothes, which is saying a lot. I mean, I definitely wouldn't argue if she designed something for me."

So now he was going to do something incredibly dangerous and most likely stupid.

And as exceptional of a sibling as he was trying to be, he was not above risking someone else's shell if it meant his would be safe. Gotta look out for number one, and all.

Both of Larry's eyebrows shot up at that. "Yeesh… a tall order… but I guess I do owe you one from you helping me out and making me this awesome room…" He picked up his CD case, the back presenting an icy design with yet another of the band's members in the middle of it, a makeshift rope bracelet around her wrist. "What are you looking for?"

His mind flashed back to what Pom Pom told him. "A pink, striped drawing notebook. I do not imagine zhat it vill be somezing kept out in ze open… It may be qvite difficult to find."

That earned a smirk from the resident snoop, who fully removed his headphones this time, placing them on the table, before he got to his feet, stretching his arms as he did so. "Well, I was never one to turn down a challenge." Larry opened his mouth to ask another question, but reconsidered a second later. Deciding to think nothing of it, Ludwig led the second-youngest out and they went down the hallway, keeping an eye out for any unwanted attention.

"So, what've you got for me?"

"She vill be out for most of ze afternoon. I convinced Pom Pom to take her and some of zheir companions to a spa not far from here. Her room should be unoccupied, but I'm unsure of any security measures."

"Eh, not my first time sneaking into Wendy's room. Shouldn't take me more than an hour."

He probably should've been concerned with that, but wisely chose to keep his mouth shut. Unfortunately for him, Larry wasn't a fool.

"She's able to get her hands on some killer jewels and rare coins. I swap them out for ones I don't already have in my collection." His light blue eyes flickered over to him, and he smirked faintly. "I'm not a creep, Ludwig."

"I said nozzing."

"You didn't have to."

"Did you have any success in contacting Marissa?"

That elicited a shrug from the second-youngest. "Haven't tried yet."

Ludwig just shook his head. His brother was as slick as they come – at least according to him – and he _still_ got nervous when it came to just calling a girl up to hang out. Go figure.

"Let me know if you experience any difficulties. I do not vish to draw attention to myself, but if you reqvire assistance–"

"Ludwig, _please_. If anything, you'd just get in the way." The eldest glanced back to see Larry opening a secret passage and slipping inside with a wave. How he managed to keep track of all the castle's hidden tunnels was beyond even him. Must've been a stealth thing. "I'll be done in no time. Meet you at your music room?"

"Da."

 **XXXXXXXX**

True to his word, when the eldest showed up around 45 minutes later, Larry was waiting there, sitting on his small bed while twirling a notebook on his claws.

"What took you so long?"

"Off."

"Alright, alright, sheesh." As he stood up, he threw the notebook like a Frisbee, the eldest catching it with ease, careful not to damage it. He had no doubt in his minds that their sister would kill them both if she found out what they'd done. "How dare I slightly wrinkle his Highness' sheets."

"Doesn't matter ze extent, vhat matters is zhat you did."

"What's so special about the notebook, anyway? It's just some clothing stuff." Larry tilted his head as Ludwig passed him, the eldest meticulously flattening the bedding until it was as straight as could be. "Running out of inspiration or something?"

"You could say zhat."

"Dunno, I think it's kinda weird that you'd pick the option that's most likely going to get you hogtied over a lava moat, but hey – it's your funeral."

"Don't you have a CD to listen to?"

"Hey, I risked my shell for that notebook! The least you could do is tell me why you wanted it so badly."

Now it was Ludwig's turn to smirk, not like Larry could see it with him facing the bed. "I could, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out on your own. Now leave me, I've much vork to attend to."

"Fine. But if she finds out–"

"Ze plan vas all mine. I vill take ze brunt of it."

"Sounds good to me."

With that, he left, leaving Ludwig alone with his thoughts, his dark music room, and a very out of place bright pink journal.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Sure enough, the innocent looking book held a treasure trove of secrets, and he was able to get to work right away.

The first order of business was making sure that the primary pieces were prepared well in advance. Tuxedo in hand, he made his way down to the castle's tailors – a rather neglected post that was primarily used as dry cleaning, and less frequently used to repair or recreate Princess Peach's outfits so that she would be well-equipped for her… involuntary and sometimes unexpected stays at the castle. And considering most of the other minions didn't even wear clothes – even with the occasional wedding or the extremely rare Darkland Ball that happened randomly once every few years – the occupation had fallen into extreme disuse. The ladies commissioned for the position typically used the time as more of a social get-together than an actual workplace.

It didn't help that they weren't exactly known for throwing parties. Crashing them was more their forte.

Ludwig smirked. _It's been years since zhey've had an actual party to prepare for. I zhink ze last von vas a simple dance to give ze minions a day of relaxation… Not zhat I would even refer to zhis as a party, but it does make me vonder vhezzer zhey've even maintained zheir skills._

He didn't dare speak these thoughts aloud, however. The last thing he needed was for them to sabotage his request out of spite for his… ahem… 'uncouth opinions'.

Females. He would never understand them.

As he turned down yet another hallway, strolling with purpose, he could already hear the chattering of the small collection of women that made up the tailoring facility, even behind the closed wooden door with the flowery sign above it.

"Hey, Ludwig!"

He was completely jarred from his thoughts as a hand roughly smacked onto his shoulder from behind, jolting as he was forced to a halt.

Glaring now and irritation spiking at the sudden interruption, he smacked the hand away and spun around. "Vhat is ze meaning of-"

 _Oh boy._

He used every ounce of his self-control as he forced himself to stay emotionless, although every brain cell he had screamed at him to get out of there.

It was very, _very_ loud screaming.

"…Vhat do you vant, Roy?"

Roy jerked a thumb behind him, leaning to the side in an easygoing manner, a smirk on his face.

"Pop just got back from his meeting. Said he was gonna take us all out to Choco Mountain for some racing and snacks. Gonna be a blast since Wendy's out on the town today!" His smirk grew into a full-fledged grin… one that was unsettlingly familiar. "And I've been looking forward to a rematch since you _barely_ won the last race. You in?"

 _Nein nein nein I do not vant to deal vith zhis right now!_

He shook his head slightly, keeping his tone formal and polite, while the grip on his tuxedo increased the tiniest bit, staying tense in case things started to turn ugly. "I am unavailable at ze moment."

Roy shrugged uncaringly in response. "Eh. Your loss. Want us to try and save you some desserts, then?"

"Zhat vill be acceptable."

"No promises Morton won't scarf it, though." He let out a laugh. "Guy's gonna have to roll home, knowing him."

"Most likely."

The pink-headed Koopaling tilted his head, grin flickering just the tiniest bit.

"…you sure you don't wanna come? I mean, you're the one who's been all about 'family-bonding' junk lately, and I doubt you're doing anything important."

Ludwig internally bristled, feeling his anger violently spike, but he visually managed to keep himself calm. As if Roy knew anything about assisting his siblings… the big brute didn't even care. Probably just trying to start a fight with him, as always.

"I'm certain."

"Well… if you say so…" Roy paused, almost as if he wanted to say something else, before shaking his head and turning away. "See you later, then."

He stood frozen in place, keeping an eye on the hothead until he rounded a corner and disappeared from view.

Ludwig proceeded to audibly sigh once he was certain he was alone, allowing himself to relax a bit. That had been _far_ too stressful. He had enough on his plate as it was without Roy messing everything up. Shaking the encounter from his mind, the eldest walked over to the tailor's and stepped inside.

The room was a sharp contrast to the rest of the castle. Light pink carpeting and bright yellow walls assaulted the eyes immediately, and vibrant plastic chairs surrounding white tables littered the room. There was sewing equipment of all types scattered about, measuring tapes and needles and fabrics of all sorts.

The seamstresses were gathered together, seated in a circle, chatting about who knows what. The eldest didn't particularly have time for casual conversation today, and he highly doubted that it would be something of interest to him, so he paid it no heed.

"Ah, Ludwig!" One of the ladies, a smaller Sledge Br… Sis? (He really had to remember to ask one of these days about the proper terminology) smiled over at him the moment he entered, and he returned the greeting with a curt nod. She was the one in charge, so it was natural for her to always have her eyes on the door. "It's been awhile – how have you been?"

Actually, given the fact that he typically strived to look his best during his musical performances, he was probably one of the most regular visitors to the tailors, if only to have his suit cleaned and pressed to perfection. So it wasn't too unusual for him to be here, albeit rather infrequently with how rare it had gotten for him to publicly perform in the past few months.

"Busy, as is expected." He passed his suit over to a waiting Paratroopa, who carefully folded it over in her arms before fluttering over to deposit it on a table for inspection.

"Just the suit, dearie?"

He hesitated. This was the awkward part, but he knew he couldn't pull it off himself unless he wanted his room to look like a fabric explosion.

"Actually, I come bearing a razzer… prodigious reqvest."

The room's chatter quieted at the unexpected breach in protocol. While the eldest did occasionally stick around for a few moments of idle chitchat – next to Larry, the tailors tended to be a surprisingly good source of information – it was almost unheard of for him to request something of them beyond making sure his suit was in tip top shape.

Steeling himself, Ludwig pulled the notebook from his shell and approached the Sledge Sister, holding it out for her to take. She obliged, getting to her feet and standing in the middle of the circle of chairs.

"I vish to recreate ze designs located in zhis notebook."

The seamstress flipped through it silently, carefully scanning each page with trained eyes, no words escaping her lips as she examined the designs. The others in the room stared at her expectantly, curious as to what the notebook contained but not daring to interrupt her musings.

"Your sister's got quite the skills…" she finally murmured, tracing a finger over one of the pages. "How long has she been working on these?"

"I don't know," he admitted, folding his arms, "She hasn't been doing vell, so I figured zhat zhis may assist her."

"…You know what these are, right?"

He nodded, unsurprised that she had picked up on the minute details of the designs so quickly. She _was_ a professional, after all.

"I do not vish for vhat I've done to leave zhis room, if zhat is possible."

"No problem at all, sweetie. I know how boys get with girly things like this."

Ludwig resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the good-natured remark.

"I think she's really going to appreciate this."

"Let's hope so. Ozzervise you may not have a suit to cater to anymore."

She laughed at the comment. "How soon do you need them?"

"As soon as possible." He glanced around the room. "Zhis is a matter zhat reqvires utmost urgency – leaving it for any extended period of time vill simply prove detrimental. Undt if she discovers ze notebook is missing, she vill turn ze castle to rubble in an attempt to find it."

That received a determined nod, the notebook closing with a faint clap. "Give us two days. Measurements won't be an issue – given their natures, all of these are pretty regular. And our lips are sealed even if we have to go hunting for them, so you don't have to worry about anyone finding out."

"Zhank you. Zhat is much appreciated." He paused, thinking to himself. "I vill send Fizzlip should anyzing change. You are all more zhan velcome to come, should you vish."

The Sledge Sis smiled warmly up at the prince. "That sounds wonderful, Ludwig. Thank you. It's always a treat to see how our work is appreciated." She suddenly lit up as a thought struck her. "Oh, and before you go, I have something important to show you... I think you'll find it _very_ helpful to your plan."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Gotta love Ludwig being a total jerk even when he's helping people XD**

 **Also... I don't know if you guys are going to be ready for this next chapter... XP**


	13. Chapter 13: Like Your Twin

**Don't forget to check out my poll if you'd like to decide which story I should write next after OBC2 is complete! ^^ thanks!**

 **XXXXXXXX**

After taking care of business at the tailors, he was quickly shooed out so that the girls could get to work, the Sledge Sis – Nella, her name was – insisting that they knew what they were doing. He had little experience in this particular field; any attempts to assist would simply be met with dismissal or amusement.

So instead of hovering around, he turned his attention to gathering minions and organizing them in a manner only a perfectionist such as himself could manage, delegating a select few to appear as the heads of the operation so that he could pull the strings from behind the scenes, without bringing attention to himself.

Of course, he wasn't completely in his element – even he had to admit that. There was only so much he could do, and his control in the matter wasn't nearly to the extent he would've liked. But he was going to have to make do with what he could.

The entire day was spent making preparations and he found himself approaching both Pom Pom and Larry a few more times throughout in order to do some additional reconnaissance on his sister, to confirm details and preferences and make sure that he wasn't completely wrong with certain elements that seemed strange to him.

He did his utmost to keep the specifications top secret – most of the minions didn't even really know what the purpose of their construction was, or that he was the mastermind behind it. And he was determined to keep it that way – if anyone found out about this his reputation would be _ruined_. Better to work from the shadows and only explain the full details if absolutely necessary. As he walked down one of the main hallways the next morning, he ran through a checklist in his mind. He had to make sure everything was arranged as quietly and as smoothly as possible.

"Ludwig!"

'Smoothly' and 'Koopaling' rarely functioned well together, it seemed.

A glance back revealed Junior storming up to the eldest, irritation written all over his face and fists clenched at his sides.

"Somezing ze matter, Junior?"

"Yeah, something's the matter!" His feet stomped on the ground as fiercely as they could as he glared up at his oldest brother. "I was gonna use the auditorium for paintbrush training and now it's all full of _your_ stuff!"

He must've recognized some of the equipment, Ludwig realized. He had figured using a few of his lesser known machines to help complete the work in a more efficient manner wouldn't have drawn attention to himself. Apparently not. "My apologies, but I reqvire it for somezing of utmost importance."

"But how am I supposed to practice? Papa's gonna be mad if I don't get better!"

Ludwig waved a dismissive hand as a pink Koopatrol – a warrior medic and one of Wendy's friends who knew the reasoning behind the plans – approached the pair, holding up blueprint designs for a runway. The blue-shelled Koopaling made a few quiet comments on the architecture, eyes flickering over to Junior's reluctantly curious face as he did so.

"What are you even using it for? It can't be _that_ important."

The Koopatrol nodded with a big smile as she rolled up the blueprints and rushed off the way she came. Ludwig watched her go with a stoic expression, maintaining that face as he turned back to face the youngest, fully intent on shooing him off.

"It's none of your concern."

Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. Junior huffed and folded his arms with a bit of a pout, looking rather put out at the entire situation.

"You always do this…" he muttered, more to himself than anything.

 _You don't have to be like Lemmy, but… you don't have to be so cold all the time, either._

 _It's just… hard to know if you care about us._

Junior's words from two days ago suddenly jumped into his mind, and he struggled to prevent himself from groaning aloud. If he wanted to improve his younger brother's view of him, he really should just come clean... but this _was_ supposed to stay quiet…

Well… there was no harm in revealing it now, was there? Most of them had received his help by this point. Ignatius already knew of his intentions, and Roy was far too dense to even realize that something was up. At the very least, Junior would understand why he was doing what he was doing.

"Alvright, fine." Ludwig did his best to manage a small smile, hoping it didn't look like something out of a horror movie. Junior didn't recoil, so he assumed it was at least semi-cordial.

"I vanted to help Vendy vith her simulation, as I vanted to help you."

"…so you're throwing her a fashion show?"

The eldest shrugged at Junior's skeptical inquiry, trying to hide his surprise that a simple runway blueprint had led him to the correct conclusion so easily. "Her concerns are out of my control. All I can do is cater to zhem."

"Well… if you're just trying to help, I shouldn't complain too much…" he sighed, "I guess I'll go see if one of the gyms is empty yet... Kinda hard with all those Chargin' Chucks training for their tournament, though."

Seeing the youngest looking so despondent bothered him more than he expected, and he found himself wracking his brain for any available training space. "Did you check ze basketball court?"

"Oh yeah!" The youngest lit up immediately on hearing that suggestion. "There's plenty of room in there! I'll go check it out! Thanks, Ludwig!"

"You're velcome. Undt don't tell Vendy!"

"I won't!"

A sigh of resignation escaped the eldest's lips as he watched Junior round a corner and disappear from view. Sure, he would keep his mouth shut, but… he just hoped he'd be too busy with training and not want to interfere.

Although, it wasn't like he could do much to help in the first place, either, especially now that everything had been planned out. He would simply have to leave it to everyone else to take care of. Sure, he may still get the occasional question or problem to resolve, but he couldn't really _do_ anything beyond that.

Not like he wanted anyone seeing him working on a _fashion show_ , of all things. How utterly degrading.

Still, it aggravated him to no end that he couldn't have more of a hand in the matter beyond simply giving orders and making sure they were carried out. At least it gave him an opportunity to focus on something else.

Or rather, _someone_ else.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Wendy's conversation had reminded him of the nightmares from the week before. It was… strange, to put it simply. Strange that it had happened all at once, that all of them – minus Wendy, ironically – had undergone something so fear-inducing the night before they were meant to undergo simulation of their fears.

Then again, they had known of the experiment for weeks now. Perhaps anticipation of what their fears could be created dreams about their fears in response?

The coincidences were running through the eldest's head as he approached a rather dangerous part of their home. Scorch marks littered the walls, the carpet was burned and torn, deeps gouges covered most of the stones and columns lining the hallway, and the torches were artificial – the real ones having been ripped off the wall long ago by various scenarios gone wrong. No one bothered to replace them what with how much riskier it would be to have an open flame here.

Ludwig ignored all of this and knocked sharply on Iggy's workshop door.

He could hear the clanging of metal and the beeping of machines even through the thick titanium that served to block the entrance to the genius' studio.

"Yeeeeeesssss! Come iiiin!"

One never simply walked in on Iggy unannounced when he was working in his special workshop. His room or his lab? Sure, go right ahead. But his workshop was heavily protected, mostly because of the numerous explosions and dangerous reactions. That's why it was so desolated – most of the minions tended to avoid this part of the castle as much as possible. Iggy was limited to working there only once a week, but he'd been breaking that rule quite a few times lately, seeing as he'd been consistently absent from mealtimes over the past few days. Steeling himself, Ludwig pressed a button next to the thick metal door. It slid open, and he entered the metallic chamber with only a moment's hesitation. One could never be too careful when it came to the workshop.

The first thing he saw was the large, cylindrical machine that was furiously puffing out white smoke, covered in meters and flashing lights, with a helmet attached to a long tube near the front of the machine. He recognized the design almost instantly, having worked on something similar years ago but never having the time to complete it due to its bulk and the testing it would've required.

His eyebrows shot up, staring at the machine, before his gaze shifted to look at the green-haired Koopaling, who was flitting around the room like a Koopa Striker running soccer drills.

"Eez zhat… a dream manipulator?"

"Ohhhhh, Ludwig, how in Darkland did you guess?" Iggy seemed jittery, on edge, even more unstable than usual. If the bags under his eyes were any indication, he had been working late for quite a while now – they were thicker than the frame of his glasses. The numerous food packages scattered about the room simply added evidence to his theory. Who knew how long he'd been in here?

"Dare I inqvire if zhis had anyzing to do vith last veek's 'nighttime visitation'?"

Iggy cackled slightly. "Oh it's simple, simple! I just put microchip brain-wave receivers in everyone's food last week in order to try and track our dreams! However, it seemed to be more of a nightmare production system if anything… I'm guessing the frequency must have triggered the amygdala center of our brains and relayed fear that our cerebral cortex amplified into nightmares…"

"…I see. And vhy exactly do ve need a dream manipulator?"

"What EVER do you mean? To discover the fears and weaknesses of our enemies, of course!" He laughed, a bit madly, on seeing Ludwig's uneasy expression. "Oh don't worry yourself, brother. The chips only last for six hours before they're decomposed and digested, and they're completely harmless. By now we're all completely clean! Of course, the silly little thing didn't even work and just gave us all nightmares… Plus, I didn't count on everyone retreating to your room… I didn't even expect me to do it! If I'd known, I definitely would've amplified the frequency. Now I have to start all over and re-establish a connection… so much to do, so few one-ups!"

"I'd prefer if you kept dream alterations to a minimum, Ignatius."

"Oh, no need to be fearful, it's perfectly safe! A bit rattling, perhaps, but still harmless! That being said… there's so much work to do if I wish to extrapolate your nightmares…"

A thought struck the oldest, confusion filling his face. "…just a moment. If you vanted to know vhat ve abhor, vhy did you not simply attempt to send a brain vave analyser zrough ze simulation chamber?"

Iggy's cackling ceased and he looked at Ludwig like a Cheep Cheep out of water. "I… didn't think of that… though I suppose I could design a memory extrapolator, but that's a whole other ball game… the dream manipulator was already a work in progress for two years… it'll take me months at LEAST to even design a working prototype, and I'm sure King Dad would simply HATE to wait that long… unless we can miniaturize the chamber and project the fear simulation onto a portable TV built into the headset… yes… that'll work perfectly… after we sedate the victim, of course, but it could always be more amusing if they're awake! I'll have to redesign the inner mechanisms to completely project the brain waves but with a bit of tweaking and downsizing to my dream manipulator it shouldn't be that much of a problem at all!" Iggy continued to ramble on and on, furiously writing notes on a clipboard and pacing the room with a glint in his eyes.

Knowing that this could go on for hours based on past experience, Ludwig simply rolled his eyes and got straight to the point. "Speaking of fears, I vish to ask about yours. I'm sure zhat ze simulation vasn't too upsetting?"

That shut him up rather quickly. His demeanor changed from moving and relaxed – well, easygoing would probably be a better word for it; 'Iggy' and 'relaxed' didn't tend to go together – to still and tense. He clearly hadn't expected Ludwig to show up with that sort of question, especially after his earlier threat… and from the anxious look on his face, it was obvious to the oldest that he remembered the experience with incredible detail.

"The simulation worked flawlessly, Ludwig, if that's what you're wondering. It's to be expected, of course, since I had quite a hand in developing it, as you well know, and-"

"Zhat is not ze nature of my inqviry, undt you know eet."

Iggy's nervous expression went dark with what could only be called a flick of the switch. The mood of the room drastically morphed from uncomfortable to tense, and it took all of the eldest's self-control to not display any unease. It was like playing with fire in a bob-omb factory, and they both knew it.

"…what, exactly, do you want to know."

"I vish to know of your simulation itself." Ludwig wandered idly towards a wooden desk and chair, the former scattered with various ink covered papers that even he had difficulty deciphering. He made himself comfortable, his posture and expression clearly indicating that he wasn't planning to leave any time soon. "More specifically, vhat you yourself experienced."

Iggy's attempt at a reassuring smile was strained at best, obviously unconvincing, and the darkness that had taken over his features refused to be fully suppressed. "Heh… nothing you need to concern yourself with, Ludwig. Trust me!"

"I don't, because ve're Koopas." The eldest crossed one leg over the other before taking a full cup of tea from his shell and taking a sip. Don't ask how he managed that, because even he probably didn't know. "Undt I don't expect to leave until you tell me."

Maybe it seemed a bit forceful, especially for someone who was emotionally unstable from fear and lack of sleep, but he was hoping to use that fatigue to his advantage. He'd already gone through helping most of his siblings, and he himself was emotionally exhausted, having been unable to give himself even a day of relaxation. Frankly, he wasn't in the mood to dodge around anymore.

The darkness increased, and Iggy let out a long sigh, his eyes closing tightly. Seconds passed, and when they opened again, his gaze on the oldest had become intense, calculating, cold, and, most noticeably, irritated.

"…I thought I told you to stay away from my mind."

His voice was lower and calmer now, with a slightly threatening undertone.

Ludwig was not perturbed. "You did. Undt I do not feel inclined to listen."

That earned a humourless cackle, and he turned to the side, only half looking at Ludwig. "Well, someone's certainly feeling insistent today. Get woken up a few times in the night and suddenly you're playing mother."

His grip on the tea cup tightened ever so slightly. That was a low blow, even for Iggy.

"It's simply for my personal research. You know how vital zhat is to me. Undt seeing as I vas an unvilling victim in your dreaming experimentation gone vrong, you are zhereby put under my debt."

The oldest could easily see the gears turning in his head, analyzing the situation. They both knew Ludwig was stronger, well rested, and, as much as he may have hated to admit it, smarter than he was, at least in this instance. He could run all he wanted, but with his weak stamina resulting from lack of sleep, it wouldn't take long for him to pass out in the hall. Iggy clearly didn't like how the odds were stacked against him, and he began to visibly shake. He knew he'd have to at least tell Ludwig the truth. The oldest had an uncanny way of gauging the honesty of his siblings… regardless of stability.

Check and mate.

 _Well played, brother… well played…_

A sigh escaped his lips as he turned his shell to Ludwig. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he rested his hands on a metal worktable, doing his best to keep his whirling emotions under control.

"I suppose I could relate my experience… at least it'll finally be off my mind when I begin working again…"

 _The simulation began in a narrow, endless hallway, similar to the one leading to the more secluded chambers of the dungeon. The only exception was the plush red carpet rolled out beneath me. I would make my way down the hall, passing frame after frame of each of you, depicting all of your accomplishments. Even Chompella had a picture hanging on the wall. Of course, I was nowhere to be seen._

 _As I approached what I somehow knew to be the throne room, I noticed just how silent the castle was. The only sound was lava bubbling below the windows. The land was devoid of any activity. It was rather unsettling._

 _I passed through a doorway and into a larger hall, this one full of white pedestals with various items on them. Plaques rested on the fronts of the pedestals, to describe what each of the items were. There were eight of them – one for each of you, and one for King Dad._

 _Again, I was absent from the equation._

 _I pushed the door open to the throne room, and I saw Lemmy sitting before me, lazing about on the chair, a large crown on his head and a rolled up piece of paper in his left hand. Chompella was sleeping in a small cage to the left of the throne, slightly out of view thanks to the shadows and a large curtain that hung behind the massive golden seat. To the right of the throne was a large metal lever with a red sphere on top._

 _"Well. Looks like you finally made it." I'd never heard his voice sound so cold before._

 _"What's going on?" I had asked, tilting my head in confusion. "And what's with the crown?"_

 _"You've got some pretty interesting ideas, little brother… I find it funny that you're so ambitious. Do you honestly think you could accomplish anything? That you actually have the ability to leave your mark?"_

 _He used his flame breath to set the paper in his hands on fire and we both watched it burn, flaming pieces swirling into the air. I somehow instantly knew what it was the moment he lit it up – one of my plans. A very important one, at that. Something that was supposed to help everyone I cared about._

 _"Lemmy, what are you doing?!"_

 _The fire started to spread, jumping onto the curtains behind the throne as Lemmy simply laughed at me, dropping the ruined plans to the floor._

 _"You're nothing, Iggy. You're nothing, and you'll always_ be _nothing. No matter how hard you try, you're always going to fail." He grinned at me darkly as the curtain's burning pieces began to fall. By this time, Chompella had woken up and was starting to bark, knocking against her cage in alarm. "It's a shame, really. You could've done so much. But you failed. You failed so horribly that they erased you. And now no one cares."_

 _I held out my arm instinctively as the flaming curtain suddenly collapsed down on the two of them, knocking the switch over. Lemmy simply laughed as Chompella wailed beside him._

 _Instead of a trap door opening under me, like I expected, it opened under the throne, sending Lemmy and Chompella plummeting into darkness, leaving me utterly alone. My head dropped, and my heart dropped with it._

 _And all I could hear, as he fell and the castle started to burn, was your scornful laughter all around me._

"And that's all there was to it." As he finished his story, Iggy's knuckles were almost white with how tightly he gripped the table, his hands shaking so much that the vibrations caused some beakers to start clinking together. "…I'm not sure what to say, honestly."

"Hm… being an inventor, you constantly face failure each day, so zhat cannot be it…" Ludwig tapped his chin thoughtfully. It was a simple answer, but it was worth a try… "Perhaps you don't vant vhat you do to be for naught?"

The clinking noise stopped. "Well I… I know that the thought of my work going unnoticed makes me sick."

With a silent cheer of triumph, the oldest spoke up. "It makes sense… vith your inventions of course you vant to leave a mark on ze community."

"Yes… being forgotten IS quite a terrifying thought…" he muttered sadly, "No one caring about you or your work… such a horrible thing."

Ludwig nodded. "Ve vill not forget about you, Ignatius." He got to his feet and put a reassuring hand on Iggy's shoulder. He still hadn't moved an inch since he had begun his explanation. "Ve vill alvays be zhere for you. Ve care for you deeply, regardless of your… unstable tendencies. Your ingenuity is integral to zhis family undt ve vill alvays appreciate every effort you make."

"I… thank you, Ludwig." Iggy didn't look at him, but the gratitude in his voice was clear. "The thought of going through all this work without a speck of appreciation is… unsettling."

"Just be sure to take a break. You are going to burn out."

"I will."

"Everyzing vill be fine," Ludwig reassured him, moving to head towards the door. "I can promise you zhat I have no intentions of letting your fear come true."

There was no response. The eldest nodded determinedly, turning to head off to enact yet another plan, and feeling rejuvenated now that he had something productive to do. He completely missed the grin that had begun to form on his younger brother's face the moment the door clicked shut.

"Trust me, big brother... neither do I."


	14. Chapter 14: Severing Siblings

**So far in the poll, Darkfire has a huge lead! It's looking like that's going to be the next story I work on! I'm curious - what do you think Darkfire is about?**

 **Hoping to have this story done by the end of May! I'm going on hiatus in June, and then I'll start Darkfire in July!**

 **XXXXXXXX**

The rest of the day and most of the night was spent working away, double and triple checking everything was running smoothly for Wendy's show, while digging into the archives on his computer for any and all ideas that he could use to help Iggy. A few notable things had stood out to him, and it was easy to direct minions into preparing certain… special events for whenever it came time to helping Iggy.

Late that evening, long after supper had finished, he had been wandering the halls, scanning a series of maps that he'd printed out and trying to pinpoint the exact location of a particular laboratory that he'd read about long ago. He hadn't had the opportunity to visit the area too extensively when the lab was in its prime, so he was on his way to ask one of his siblings about whether or not he could remember any landmarks close to where it was situated. The basketball court came into view and he quickened his step, opening the door without hesitation the moment it was within reach.

"Junior, I had a qvestion about–"

That was as far as he was able to get before a massive explosion interrupted him and he looked up to see a Banzai Bill launching towards the youngest, who was facing it head on, both hands tightly gripping his goop-stained paintbrush. The floor beneath him was darkened, pulsing and slick, his feet submerged in the thick gunk, and he made no attempt to move away from the giant bullet.

On the opposite side of the gym, behind the Bill, stood Roy, partly covered in smoke, Bill Blaster in hand and an eager grin on his face as impending doom careened down on the prince.

Ludwig's memory banks triggered his simulations, and for a split second he forgot that they weren't real, becoming convinced that Junior had somehow managed to escape Roy's clutches and was desperately trying to protect himself from the monster that was their brother.

"JUNIOR!"

The shout made the youngest turn in surprise, the brush in his hand falling from his grasp, and he let out a 'GACK' as Ludwig tackled him to the ground, papers flying, nearly slipping on the goop that Junior was already partially submerged in.

He forced the youngest's head down as the Bill roared above them, the bottom of the black underbelly nearly grazing the tops of their heads.

It crashed against the wall in a massive bang. The room vibrated violently from the impact, but the Bill didn't detonate. Instead, it smashed to the ground, loudly cracking the floor on impact. Smoke poured out from its back, the fire slowly fading out.

With a large amount of effort, Ludwig managed to pull both of them free from the dark brown mire, eyes intently scanning him up and down.

"Are you alvright, Junior?!"

He shook goop from his face, a look of confusion in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, I–"

"HEY!"

Roy approached them, barring his fangs furiously. The eldest's adrenaline slowly began to fade from his rush to Junior's defence, banishing the simulations from his mind. It still didn't stop Ludwig from gripping Junior's shoulder protectively as they got to their feet, just in case something went sideways.

"What is the big IDEA?! You could've hurt Junior!"

" _I_ could've-?!" Ludwig took a step back incredulously, before the anger launched back full force, even more dangerous than the now harmless Bill, pointing an accusatory finger forward. " _YOU_ vere the von launching a BANZAI BILL at him!"

"Because _HE_ wanted to practice goop warping! You could've gotten stuck with how you rammed right into him, and then you both would've been Bill bait!"

"He's far too young to be experimenting vith such dangerous techniques! Especially vith a scenario as RECKLESS and as UNPREDICTABLE as ZHIS! You are an IDIOT!"

An ominous silence descended between the three brothers, the only sound being his final word echoing through the large gym. Ludwig knew he had crossed a line, but he couldn't go back on it now. Unlike the hothead before him, who was now utterly seething, at least Ludwig was more in control of his anger. Junior would be safe behind his shell.

Of course, that didn't explain why the crown prince was shaking so much. Perhaps because of how close he had come to danger? Yeah, that had to be it. Junior knew he wouldn't dare let the third eldest hurt him.

Refusing to simply let accusations fly at him, Roy came to stand toe to toe with the oldest. "Okay. WHAT is your PROBLEM?! YOU'RE the one who keeps telling us all to push ourselves, make sure we can handle things, and all of a sudden Junior's too YOUNG to practice?!"

"No, he can practice all he vants!" Ludwig defended himself, "But eet should not be brought to such extremes!"

Instead of retaliation, Roy let out a laugh. It was dark, the same laugh that he'd heard all those days ago. The same laugh that had permeated his Iggy-caused nightmare. It sent a jolt down his shell and his grip on Junior became so tight that the youngest began to whimper in pain, but the noise didn't register, overshadowed by the echoing laughter that eventually faded into silence.

"No."

His voice was now sombre, but calm. Quiet. Unreadable. There was no way of him knowing what Roy was thinking and it made Ludwig all the more tense.

"It's that he shouldn't be practicing with ME. Is that it?" A pause. "That's it, isn't it?"

Ludwig didn't dare speak, fully alert and refusing to back down.

"…yeah. That's what I thought."

The hothead deflated, and instantly all tension vanished from the room as he began to turn away, venom and spite dripping slightly from his voice. "Fine, then. If that's how you feel, show him yourself since you're so sure you can teach him better."

"Roy, no!" Junior yanked free from Ludwig and rushed towards the retreating Koopaling, leaving goopy footprints on the floor of the otherwise pristine gym. He almost called out to the youngest, but held back in case it sparked another argument. All he needed was for Junior to get caught in the crossfire if that happened.

"You were fine! Can we try again? Please?"

But no amount of Chain Chomplet eyes could change his mind. Ruffling the little bit of hair on his head, Roy gave Junior a half-hearted smile. "…maybe later, squirt."

And off he went.

Now it was Junior's turn to bristle, spinning around to glare at his oldest brother the moment the purple shell vanished from the room. "What was that?! You've never stopped us from practice before!"

His unexpected response earned a blink of confusion. "I… simply did not vant anyone getting hurt…"

"You've been way more brutal in practice than that! Remember when you used electric panels as platforms to help us 'improve our timing'?! Morton smelled like fried Yoshi for a WEEK!" Junior stormed around in a circle, imitating his father with his annoyed paces. Tiny plumes of smoke started to puff from his nostrils as he ranted. "And now Roy's not gonna wanna practice with me anymore! It was already hard enough to convince him to help me! You probably really hurt his feelings!"

"Please. I highly doubt zhat." He let out a scornful scoff. "He doesn't even _have_ feelings."

Silence.

Junior's jaw dropped in shock, much to Ludwig's bewilderment.

"Wow… just… wow."

"Vhat?"

"What happened to the big brother who was so eager to help Morton and I three days ago?! You go out of your way to take us all the way out to Alpine Pass for no reason other than to help us with our fears, you built Larry his own train roller coaster, you're throwing a FASHION SHOW of all things for WENDY, and then you turn around and say Roy doesn't have feelings?! _What_ is your _problem_?!"

"It's complicated," Ludwig dismissed, refusing to acknowledge the uneasy feeling that was beginning to fill him. _If Junior figures it out…_ "You vouldn't understand."

Junior stamped his foot in frustration. "Then explain it. Cuz it looks like you think Roy's gonna hurt us all."

Ludwig blinked. He had hit the nail right on the head. The amount of perception that the youngest seemed to have was astounding.

Of course, he wasn't about to tell _him_ that…

But, with a sigh of resignation, he reluctantly looked back at his actions around Roy during the past few days. Perhaps he'd been letting himself get too worked up over a simple simulation. After all, there was no evidence to prove that he'd ever tried to intentionally hurt anyone... unless he was mad, of course, but even then he seemed to know the limits.

Besides, he was supposed to be HELPING his siblings. Not running away from them.

 _But still... vhat if he-_

Ludwig shook the accusations from his head.

 _No. Enough. Give Roy more credit zhan zhat. He vould not allow zhem to come to harm, no matter how bad things got. You know zhis._

"Perhaps I vas… too qvick to assume ze vorst in zhis particular instance."

"Uh, ya think?"

Ludwig glanced at Junior, surprised to find his face filled with puzzlement and sympathy, though the youngest said nothing to explain what was going on in his mind.

"I vill have to speak vith him about zhis at a later point. After he cools down."

"He didn't seem mad, just kinda upset and frustrated. You could probably go now."

"No." He was too quick to reply, and he knew that. But he wasn't ready to confront the most volatile of them all about the real reason behind his seeking him out. It had to be taken delicately to avoid any collateral damage. "I mean, I vill, just… not yet. I need time to collect my zhoughts. Besides, I need to make sure preparations are complete for Vendy tomorrow."

"Fine, just… don't start fighting, okay?"

"Ve von't."

He wished he could be sure of that as Junior nodded and went to go fetch some towels. But with such an uncontrollable element to factor in, the only thing Ludwig could be sure of was that he wasn't sure of anything.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"So why'd you come to find me?"

The two brothers were heading down the hall towards the library, Ludwig's maps having been ruined by the earlier chaos. Junior was wiping goop from his face with a towel, while the eldest stayed a few feet off to the side, not wanting to get any more muck on himself.

"I vas hoping you'd be able to locate a laboratory. You vere part of ze sixth Mario Kart tournament, vhen it vas still active."

"Oh, you mean the old Bob-Omb Factory near Grumble Volcano?" Junior smacked the side of his head to clear goop out of his ear. "Yeah, I think I remember that place. Papa and I went there a few times before it was shut down and cleared out." He gave the eldest a side glance. "Why, what's up?"

"It's for Ignatius. Zhere vere some devices left inside zhat I zhink he vould be very interested in obtaining. According to vhat I vas able to dig up, zhey are supposed to be in a storage room, near an upper vindow in ze back of ze lab."

"Ah, cool." The two of them entered the library, and Ludwig pulled up one of the maps that he had been looking at before on an idling computer.

Junior squinted at the screen and, with a bit of brain-wracking, found the area that the lab had been located. It was a good kilometre away from the main track, nestled between some lava rivers and semi-active volcanos. A bit risky to fly directly with the uneven terrain and the constant threat of fireballs, but there appeared to be a small clearing about two hundred meters away, and a somewhat cracked trail that would take them straight to the lab. It was a fairly easy journey, but…

"Only one problem. You need to get your eye scanned." Junior couldn't help but smirk proudly. "Papa let me get one and I got to open a whole bunch of doors!"

"It has a retina scanner?"

"Yeah, the science guys were really secretive."

"You mean scientists."

"No, Science Guys. Science Shy Guys."

He had to admit, he hadn't expected either of those developments.

"Vell… as much as I hate to risk zhis–"

"Ludwig, look." Junior rolled his eye. "I'll save you the struggle: Just let me go get it. I can take care of myself. Don't freak out so much."

Rendered speechless, Ludwig could do nothing but watch as Junior printed out the map and tucked it into his shell. "You've got enough on your plate, big bro. There's nothing wrong with letting me help out."

He finally found his voice. "Still, I vould feel much more comfortable if you brought von of ze ozzers vith you."

"Ughhh. I've done time trials in Grumble Volcano. I can take care of myself!"

"You've done time trials on a registered track vith Lakitu vatching you to fish you out of trouble." The eldest shook his head resolutely. "If you zhink I'm going to just vatch you fly off by yourself to a potential explosive death trap full of unknown experiments, you've got Goonies for brains." He pulled out a piece of paper detailing the inventions and where they were supposedly located. "At ze very least, take Larry vith you."

"Fiiiiine..." Grumbling in annoyance, Junior snatched the note and went to leave the library in a huff – presumably to find his aforementioned sibling – but not before shooting the eldest a sour glare. "And you'd _better_ go fix things with Roy! I'm serious!"

"I vill." _Just… not yet._

Reluctantly satisfied with that response, Junior nodded and took off. Ludwig could hear him yelling for Larry seconds later.

 _He is far too stubborn for his own good…_

Like he was one to talk.

No time to worry about that now, though. There were far too many things to do.

So long as his plans went smoothly, everything would be fine.

…hopefully.


	15. Chapter 15: Finding The Middle Ground

**Just as a slight explanation: Throughout the course of this story, there are a few times in Ludwig's thoughts that his accent is missing. This is simply done to really emphasize the statement and make it stand out compared to others! It's still his voice, and you can read it with the accent if you wish; I just felt it was more impactful this way! :)**

 **XXXXXXXX**

Not for the first time since the simulations, Ludwig found himself unable to sleep that night. The sounds of Beethoven were drowned out by the earlier events that had nearly gotten Junior blasted to bits, and his reluctant promise to rectify things with Roy. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, before lowering his gaze to examine his turret bedroom. It was just as he had expected it to be, paper skewered across the desk opposite his bed, a towel plopped unceremoniously in the upper left corner, a stack of books placed next to the door, a strange black lump reaching over the corner of his bed-

With a strangled cry, Ludwig kicked back and shot a fireball at the unknown appendage. It instantly caught fire and the scent of burning fabric began to fill the room.

Despite his panic, from the faint light it almost looked like his tuxedo jacket that one of the minions was supposed to bring to his room when it was done getting dry cleaned-

Another cry of panic escaped his lips, this time from his realization of what exactly he had done, and he lunged towards the inflamed garment and desperately swatted at it to stop it from burning. This proved futile, so he ended up throwing it from his bed and stamping it out with a fierce vigour one would not expect from an exhausted prince at three in the morning.

Thankfully, even in the little light it appeared relatively undamaged, but he would have to wait until morning to fully assess the garment's condition.

The adrenaline quickly faded and he felt even more exhausted than before, throwing the jacket across the back of a wooden chair before returning to his bed.

 _Zhis is getting ridiculous…_ He ran a hand over his face, frustration replacing his unbridled panic. _I can't be exhausted for zhis… zere are too many elements zhat could go vrong._

 _I need to be in control._

 **XXXXXXXX**

Thankfully, the next morning, he was pleased to discover his suit coat had suffered very minimal damage – nothing that would be noticeable, at least. Fizzlip had met him just after he'd awoken and had reported that the finishing touches on the fashion show were just reaching their completion, and the clothes were ready for display. Still wouldn't be enough time to have everything set up for it to be done for today, but that was fine. The seamstresses could have the rest of the day off. He had other things to concern himself with.

He couldn't simply throw him a party or build something extravagant. Iggy was too smart for that.

No, he had to be subtle.

The youngest trio had been easy to convince. They were already well under way on their tasks, and so far things were going off without a hitch. To his knowledge, Iggy was none the wiser, but he knew that his suspicion would grow as the day progressed.

That was fine. By then, it would be too late to stop, and the middle child would just have to accept it.

"Ludwig!"

Lemmy raced up, stopping on a dime right in front of him, circus ball spinning in place under his feet. His expression was nothing short of ecstatic.

"Larry said you were gonna help Iggy! He hasn't been himself lately and I really wanna help out!"

"I don't see vhy not."

There were stars in the smallest Koopaling's eyes, and he did a spin on his circus ball. "That's awesome!" With a quick backflip, he landed on one hand and turned to face Ludwig once more. "What were you thinking? I bet you have tons of ideas! Are you gonna make him a hangout like you did for Larry?"

"Nein. Ignatius vould easily see zhat coming." Ludwig held up a hand to tick off what had been done today. "Morton is in charge of meals – he's already made breakfast for him –"

Lemmy gasped. "Strawberry waffles and syrup?"

"Yes." He wasn't surprised in the least that Lemmy knew his favourite breakfast. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if they shared the same preferences.

"I hope he saved me some! That's my favourite!"

 _I rest my case._ "Larry and Junior are currently attempting to procure some experimental devices from von of Fazzer's abandoned Bob-Omb factories near Grumble Volcano. Zhey contain rare components zhat I believe Ignatius vould find useful."

"Why'd he even put a Bob-Omb factory near a volcano?"

"I don't know and I don't vant to know. At ze very least, it vas cleared out of explosives, so zhere shouldn't be any risk of a detonation." He glanced off down the hall. "Ve are meeting for lunch at ze southern balcony. I've yet to ask Vendy if she vould be villing to assist us – she may not be in a good mood."

"What about Roy?"

The musician cringed at that. Why was everyone so insistent in bringing the hothead into his plans?

"Forget him. Zhey can't stand each ozzer. It vill only serve to stress out Ignatius." _Undt me_ , he added silently.

He could just imagine the response.

 _"_ _What, so now you think I'm gonna help you after you almost hurt Junior? Forget it. I want nothing to do with your little 'charity' project, so just drop it. Go help Iggy yourself if you're that eager to put that maniac in a good mood."_

Of course, that wasn't a _guaranteed_ response, but it certainly felt accurate enough.

"I dunno… I think Roy could help…" Lemmy donned a thoughtful look – at least, that's what he _assumed_ it was; it was hard to tell when he was upside down. He grinned widely. "I should go ask him!"

"NO!" Again, he had answered too quickly, and he knew it. "It's… It's not a good idea, Lemmy."

"It's okay, Ludwig! Roy won't hurt me!"

 _That's what he wants you to think._

He was very grateful that Lemmy had already turned his shell to him and was rolling down the hallway. Otherwise he would've seen the look of utter panic flicker across his face as yet another dark thought struck him, this one nearly escaping his lips.

 _Relax. You can handle zhis. You have before. Just don't zhink about it undt everyzhing vill be fine._

He was the oldest. The most mature. He couldn't allow himself to show such weakness, especially not in front of his siblings.

He hurried after the orange-shelled Koopaling, shoving his concerns away yet again and refusing to acknowledge that he was being an incredible hypocrite.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Unfortunately for him, he quickly lost Lemmy in the maze of corridors. He hadn't been heading for the bedrooms, so who knew where the acrobat was going to end up?

With a quiet groan, he allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. _This is so stupid…_ he thought to himself bitterly, a scowl forming on his face, _Roy's going to do nothing but ruin everyzhing, like he alvays does. Vhy can't zhey just listen to me for once? It vould be so much easier for me to control zhings if zhey simply–_

A flash of pink caught his attention, and he glanced up in alarm, before visibly deflating in relief on seeing that it was just Wendy, walking with purpose down the hall. He quickly caught up to her and gave her a nod. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye but said nothing. May as well get right to the point if she wasn't willing to chat…

"We've been planning on doing somezing for Ignatius today. Vould you be villing to assist us?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She seemed distracted. Had she noticed her notebook was missing? He certainly hoped not… he'd have to get Larry to sneak it back into her room – somewhere inconspicuous enough that she could've gone this long without noticing it. He had no doubt that his younger brother could have a spot in mind if he had planned that far in advance. Which, knowing him, he probably would have.

"Zhank you. Ve vill be meeting on ze balcony overlooking ze back courtyard around lunchtime. If you have any ideas, zhat vill be ze most opportune time to enact zhem."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Fine."

Ludwig could easily tell that it was most certainly _not_ fine, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. At the very least, he'd managed to get a somewhat positive response.

And now for the hard part.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"I don't see what's so important that you had to drag me from my work."

'Dragged' was the appropriate word. If he had had the energy for it, the younger genius would've been kicking and screaming as he was quite forcibly taken from his workshop. He argued and complained and even struggled a bit as he was pushed down the hallways, with the eldest keeping a firm hand on Iggy's left shoulder. But Ludwig was having none of it. He wasn't about to allow the stubbornness of his sibling ruin his plans. He was too stubborn for that.

"I had a project well underway and you know I don't appreciate being interrupted."

"First of all, Ignatius, _you_ know you're only supposed to be in your vorkshop vonce a veek. Second, you clearly haven't been eating or sleeping enough. Third, a break vill allow your mind to recalibrate."

"Is that why you're so slow when it comes to finishing your projects?"

Ludwig breathed out a slight growl, but did his best to remain composed, refusing to allow his grip on his shoulder to tighten in annoyance. "Music is my primary focus. If I vish to invent, I vill."

"And yet you never seem to, not anymore. It's almost like if you don't work on your inventions, they'll never get done."

"Shut up undt eat your breakfast." With a slight shove, Iggy stumbled slightly into the dining room. His condescending smirk slowly faded as he saw the spread set out before him. A stack of steaming, fluffy waffles was piled high in the centre of the room. A pot of hot chocolate stood beside it, and a large bowl of strawberries glistened in the light. There were plates of bacon and eggs and toast and various fruit scattered across the massive table, creating a rather delicious looking smorgasbord.

A few abandoned dishes indicated that he wouldn't be the first to sample the delicacies, but there was still more than enough for everyone to have their fill again, if they wanted to.

"Morton prepared most of it, per my suggestion. I figured you'd need as much energy as possible."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing as he took his seat, filled up a plate, and hesitantly dug in. Ludwig fetched his own breakfast of bacon and eggs, and a Koopa maid brought him a steaming cup of coffee.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Iggy spoke up. "…Where's everyone else?"

"I saw Lemmy earlier but I do not know where he is now. Junior and Larry are out, undt Wendy, Morton, undt Roy's current whereabouts are unknown to me."

Loud stomping suddenly caught their attention, shaking the walls. Plates clinked together from the vibrations, and Bowser sauntered into the room, eyes lighting up at the spread.

"Man, Morton said he'd gotten some food for everybody, but I didn't think he'd go all out!"

"Greetings Fazzer."

"Hi, King Dad."

"Hey, boys." Bowser's focus was fully on the food, and he began piling a plate as high as he deemed appropriate. Lemmy could probably be buried underneath the mountain that Bowser had created for himself. Only after he'd taken his seat at the right end of the table and had inhaled half of the plate did he seem to remember that he wasn't alone.

"So what are you boys up to today?"

"I plan on returning to my work-"

"No you're not."

"-I've many tests to run-"

"No you don't."

"-and if a certain older brother would stop _bothering me_ , I could probably have at least three of my projects done by the end of the week."

Iggy's look of warning was noticed, but easily ignored. Bowser watched in amusement as they bickered back and forth, comments shooting at the speed of an intense tennis match.

"You're taking a break from your experiments. Zhat's final."

"You are not the boss of me, Ludwig."

"I _am_ your superior, undt your health is a primary concern to me. You cannot expect to face ze Mario brozzers if you are running on fumes."

"I'm perfectly fine."

"You look like you're about to pass out at any moment."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"You almost fell asleep four times vhile you vere eating."

"I did not. I was lost in thought."

"Sure."

"I was. And I'd prefer it if you'd stop intervening."

"I only intervened because I'd prefer it if you didn't end up in ze medical vard. Or vorse, pass out in a room of dangerous chemicals and untested experiments vith nobody avare of your condition."

"I can take care of myself."

"You can. But you're not."

"Would you just mind your own business, Ludwig?!"

"Do not be irritated if I choose to step in simply because _you_ refuse to have ze intelligence undt common sense to care for yourself."

That really set him off, and he fired back, with a dark-toned scoff, "Yes, because I really need you taking control of my life, _mother_."

 _Ohhh he shouldn't have said zhat…_

The table instantly went silent. Bowser was frozen, a fork full of syrupy waffles dripping right in front of his gaping maw. Iggy was glaring darkly at the leftovers on his plate, as if willing them to spontaneously combust. His fists were clenched tightly at his side, and his overall posture dared Ludwig to say anything more.

He seemed to have forgotten who exactly was with them at the table.

There was a loud clink as Bowser's fork fell from his grasp and the fork clattered against the plate, syrup splattering onto the table. Ludwig glanced between the two in alarm, bracing himself for the incoming eruption.

In the span of half a second, Iggy was grabbed by his shell's rim at the base of his neck and hoisted into the air with a startled yelp. His wide, blue eyes found themselves staring directly into furious red ones. Faint plumes of smoke seeped from Bowser's nostrils, and Ludwig wisely grabbed an empty plate to use as a shield in case breakfast became an inadvertent projectile.

"If you ever insult your siblings like that _ever_ again, Ignatius Koopa, I'm shutting down your workshop _and_ your lab, and throwing all of your inventions into the moat. _Do I make myself clear?_ "

Bowser's voice was shaking with rage, his teeth barred and eyes burning slits. He only used their full names when he was _really_ mad, and it was easy to see why.

"Y-Y-Yes, King Dad."

"What do you say?"

"S-sorry, King Dad. Ludwig."

He gave a curt nod. "Oh, and you're banned from the workshop for a month. I'll be posting Koopatrol to make sure you can't enter."

Iggy's eyes widened in horror. "B-but-!"

He was cut off as Bowser's grip on his shell rim tightened and his glare intensified further, if that was even possible.

Iggy's gaze fell to the ground. "…Yes, King Dad."

After a few more tense seconds, Bowser dropped the genius to the floor – he landed on his tail with a grunt – and stormed out of the dining room without another word, so angry that he completely forgot about the rest of his food.

Iggy shakily got to his feet. He took in and let out a deep breath. It was easy to see that he was _very_ upset with the development, but he tried to compose himself and not visibly react.

Doing his best to remain emotionless, he met Ludwig's wide-eyed stare and pressed his mouth into a thin line, veiled anger evident behind his eyes.

"…Well, I suppose you got your wish, then."

 **XXXXXXXX**

After finishing breakfast, the two geniuses silently made their way down the hall towards the castle's main entrance. Ludwig had mixed feelings over Iggy's punishment. On the one hand, being forbidden to work on his projects was going to be absolute torture. But, on the other hand, he _did_ have that coming; it was his own fault for making such a comment, especially in front of their father.

The middle child radiated frustration at the thought of missing out on an entire month of serious inventing, but, to his credit, he kept his emotions in check and maintained a reserved and terse demeanor. Hey, at least he still had his lab.

As they reached the main foyer, the sound of an approaching airship caught their attention. Iggy cast a puzzled side-glance at Ludwig as the airship – more specifically, Larry's airship – plopped down in front of the castle's bridge.

 _Right on schedule. Excellent. Ignatius is going to need zhis after vhat just happened._

The moment the airship powered down, Larry and Junior rushed off and ran into the castle to greet their older brothers. They were panting from adrenaline and covered in soot, but still grinning widely as they chatted amongst themselves. Ludwig and Iggy could barely make out what they were saying, and watched as Larry light-heartedly shoved the youngest in the shoulder with his free hand.

"Oh man, if you hadn't managed to pull off that warp we would've been _so_ toast!"

"Only because you saw heard fuse light up!" Junior replied with a smirk, "I was so focused on the boxes I didn't even notice!"

They skidded to a stop in front of the two geniuses, who stared at them in confusion as they struggled to catch their breaths. Larry was holding a box under one arm, and he laughed at their expressions.

"What's with the looks?" he asked with a grin.

Ludwig gestured to the obvious filth. "You're both a mess. Vhat happened?"

"Well, 'empty' was kinda relative." Larry passed Iggy the box and started dusting himself off. "There were some leftover Bob-Ombs – one of them got knocked over to a broken window and some embers lit it up."

"You should've seen the explosion!" Junior crowed, pulling off his bandana and shaking the ash from it. It flew everywhere, much to the eldest's annoyance.

"We still got the goods, obviously. Mint condition, and right where you said they'd be!"

Iggy tilted his head, mildly curious despite his irritation. "Why were you at a Bob-Omb factory?"

Larry jutted his chin towards the box, grin getting even wider. "See for yourself, bro!"

With only a moment's hesitation, Iggy carefully opened the small box. His eyes went wide and he looked between the two of them, speechless.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta take a shower – don't want my hair getting ruined!"

"Hey, wait for me!"

And then the two of them bolted off as fast as they'd arrived, leaving soot-stained footprints on the plush red carpets that the maids were going to have a _field day_ trying to clean.

Slowly, as if the devices in the box would disintegrate if he took his eyes off of them, Iggy turned to stare at Ludwig, expression one of disbelief and slight suspicion. He couldn't blame him. It wasn't every day someone randomly received a molecular scrambler, an atom stabilizer, a photon displacement unit, a gravity distortion ray, a density conductor, vials of different power-up extracts, and various other scientific devices and ingredients that he hadn't bothered remembering the names of. Sure, most of them were either broken or experimental or didn't really do what they were supposed to, but they contained a treasure-trove of data and rare resources, and he knew that Iggy's mind was already racing with possibilities for new inventions.

"Ludwig… what is the meaning of all of this?"

There was no response, and he wasn't able to inquire again as Lemmy suddenly rolled up, holding a board game and hopping from one foot to the other.

"Iggy I finally found it! Your favourite!"

He scrutinized the game box and blinked in surprise. "Clue? I haven't seen that in years." He had to admit, he DID love a good mystery, and Clue was one of the games he'd constantly want to play whenever they were all trying to decide on a game. At least, when they were all much younger. He always picked Professor Plum, for obvious reasons.

"Yeah! I searched everywhere for it! It's still got all the pieces and everything!"

"Perhaps Morton or Vendy vill be villing to join us."

Iggy reluctantly tucked the box away into his shell. The inventions would still be there – a few more hours wouldn't destroy them. At least he had something to occupy his inventing time outside of his workshop. "I guess one game couldn't hurt…"

And so, the three of them went off to find a fourth person to join them. Lemmy claimed Mrs. White, and, partial to the colour blue, Ludwig chose Mrs. Peacock.

Wendy did, in fact, agree to the game, to which Ludwig was exceedingly grateful. Try as he might, Morton wasn't exactly… _skilled_ at keeping his mouth shut. Choosing Miss Scarlet, she looked a bit distracted entire time, but she was still willing to stick around for a while, if only to give herself a break from whatever it was she had been doing.

Ludwig had a sneaking suspicion that a certain notebook had been involved. So he had casually excused himself after one of his turns – making sure to take his cards along with him; he knew better than to leave something like that unattended with how competitive they all were – to let Larry know that he had an opportunity to return it to her room, after he procured it from the tailor's, of course.

Knowing his little brother, he'd have it taken care of before they even finished the game.

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Ludwig, where are we going?"

It was barely lunchtime and Iggy was already exasperated and eager to go his own way. After a few games of Clue (he and Iggy had been tied for victories, with Wendy coming out on top during one game and Lemmy not being able to win even once), they had separated in order to get ready for lunch.

Iggy probably wanted to retreat back to his projects – maybe convince a minion to get some equipment from his workshop – but that was a huge no. He'd spent enough time working as it was.

"Morton's prepared lunch for everyvon outside."

"Yes, because I'm clearly looking forward to eating a sandwich he's breathed all over from his babbling."

Ludwig didn't bother mentioning that he'd had no problem eating the breakfast Morton had made this morning. Maybe it was because the chatterbox was usually a bit quieter in the morning, or maybe this sudden change of mood was due to a lack of sleep.

"You didn't take a break at all, did you?" Sure, he was pulling a page from Wendy's book, but cut him some slack. It had been surprisingly efficient.

"I took a small break to get some rest last night."

"Undt how long did that last?"

He shrugged carelessly. "About an hour."

 _Vhy am I not surprised._ Ludwig said nothing more as he dragged the tallest Koopaling towards the large balcony where the others would rendezvous for lunch. There was a faint din off in the distance that increased in volume as the brothers got closer to the meeting spot.

"Is that… barking?"

There was no reply, and it became abundantly clear that Iggy's suspicions were correct as they approached the balcony that overlooked the back of the castle, the large, open doorway allowing the very clear sound of chain chomps to reach their ears.

And when they finally peered over the wall, they were met with quite a sight.

Dozens upon dozens of chain chomps of all sizes were running around outside, barking and wrestling and chewing on bones, their black sheen reflecting the lava's light and giving them a vibrant glow.

Iggy's mouth was pressed into a tight frown, but the eldest could tell that he was secretly overjoyed with the sight of all these chain chomps playing and bouncing around. Even Chompella was joining in on the fun, and on seeing her owner high above her, she let out a jovial bark and began to bound towards the castle doors, excited to see him after so long.

With a casual glance to the side, Ludwig watched as a flicker of guilt passed over his younger brother's face. For the most part, Lemmy had been the one taking care of Chompella while Iggy had shut himself off from the outside world. In fact, they hadn't even realized that he'd been ignoring her until Larry had heard the loud whining coming from his room one morning.

"Why would you do this?"

"Do vhat?"

"All of this." He gestured out to the field. "Gather Chain Chomps. Get Morton to make us food. Recruit Larry and Junior to go out and get a bunch of experimental devices for me. Convince Lemmy to find my favourite childhood game."

"He did zhat on his own," Ludwig dismissed.

"But he most likely wouldn't have if you hadn't put the idea into his head," he pressed, becoming annoyed at the lack of response, "It's obvious that you've planned this all out. So again, I ask: Why would you do this?"

Ludwig didn't answer, and it ended up that he didn't have to, because Morton skidded around the corner, grinning widely.

"Guys! Glad you're here! Lunch is on its way, and so are the others! You're gonna love it!"

Iggy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Chompella barrelling down the hall and tackling him to the ground, licking his face excitedly and refusing to let her owner get to his feet, despite his protests. She'd missed him too much to just let him push her off!

After a bit of waiting, the others quickly arrived – sans Roy, much to Ludwig's relief – and so did the food. Each of them enjoyed their favourites. Say what you will about Morton, the guy knew how to cook.

"So, Iggy," Larry glanced over at the genius, casually pointing a carrot stick at him, "You been enjoying your day so far?

"Well…" Iggy hesitantly glanced around at his siblings, rubbing Chompella's head affectionately. He hadn't even touched his food yet, too busy trying to understand what exactly was going on. "I can't say that I've… expected today to go the way that it has."

"You'd better hurry up undt eat." Ludwig couldn't keep the smirk off of his face. "Ze races are going to start soon."

That earned a mistrustful glance. "What exactly do you mean by… races?"

The eldest jerked a thumb towards the field of chain chomps. "Exactly vhat you zhink I do."

 **XXXXXXXX**

"Come on, come on!"

"You've got this!"

"No no no, faster!"

"Go! Gooooo!"

"YES!" Iggy pumped his fist as the last race came to a close finish. "Atta girl, Chompella!"

The rest of them groaned good-naturedly as their picks lost, but it probably should've been expected. Iggy was the fastest out of all of them, so it was only natural that he would've trained his pet to be the same way. She wagged her tail happily, panting as she made her way over to a large water bowl for a drink before darting off to return to her owner.

The races done, the siblings found contentment in simply sitting around and chatting with one another. Even Wendy seemed a little less distracted than before. She had given Iggy a large pink bow, which sparkled a bit in the light – it was specially designed to fit on Chompella's chain, to give her a bit of style. She had shown him how to properly secure it after she had returned from the races, and the little Chain Chomp had been overjoyed to wear it, spinning around and barking excitedly, much to the rest of their amusement.

"Hey, Iggs."

The seven of them quieted all at once at the unexpectedly hesitant voice behind them, the only sound being the young Chain Chomp's tired breathing as she curled up for a nap. Glancing back, they saw Roy standing a bit awkwardly in the doorway, arms folded and head tilted slightly so that he wasn't really looking at anyone.

Not that they'd know if he was looking at anyone anyway.

Ludwig quietly braced himself for things to go wrong.

"Oh, uh… hi, Roy." Iggy was guarded, as was to be expected. The two of them were hardly even cordial to each other on the best of days.

"Lemmy said you weren't doing too good, so I figured, since you're always blabbing about your experiments, you'd want someone to check 'em out." He turned his head to the side to look down the hallway, stepping back so that his shell was resting against the balcony's doorframe.

There was a quiet _tic-tic-tic_ noise that was quickly getting louder with each passing second, and they each watched curiously as a second figure came into view, pausing in the entrance next to Roy.

Iggy got to his feet in an instant, jaw practically hitting the floor and eyes as wide as saucers. Ludwig's response was similar, though he remained seated.

The rest of them exchanged confused glances at the strange Toad in a five-sizes-too-large lab coat that stood before them, riding a hover scooter with a typewriter on the front. Red and yellow clothes peaked out from his open coat. His cap was dotted with purple spots of various sizes, and his mustache twitched slightly as he smacked his sleeve-covered hands onto the primitive machine, eyes never leaving the paper.

Professor Fungi – eccentric inventor and, thanks to his impeccable analytical skills, _very_ influential when it came to procuring patents for up and coming inventions.

"P-Professor Fungi?!"

The two of them nodded simultaneously, neither Roy nor Fungi looking at anyone.

"B-but how?! Why?!"

The Toad pulled a paper from his pocket and passed it to Iggy, who scanned it as if it were an undiscovered element. His face went from shocked and reserved to a huge grin in a matter of seconds.

Roy just shrugged. "Figured you'd appreciate it. Guess I was right."

With a subtle glance, Ludwig wondered what exactly the hothead was hoping to get out of this. He certainly didn't just… do nice things for his siblings, at least not without expecting some sort of material compensation. The eldest couldn't count the amount of times one of the younger ones had had to fork over their desserts in order to get his help, even for the most mundane things. Sure, that didn't happen very often anymore, but once in a while he still found Iggy or Larry making or procuring something for Roy as payment for whatever he happened to have helped them with, like training equipment or cash. Others did favours, like chores or assignments, in exchange for his assistance.

The unexpected gift had caused the oldest to temporarily forget his wariness, and allowed him to scrutinize his brother from a purely analytical perspective. He, surprised, suddenly noticed just how worn out the third-eldest looked. From the way he slumped against the wall to the way he refused to unfold his arms or even approach any of them… Roy didn't _sound_ tired; he still spoke easily enough to the others – casually conversing with Junior, who was bounding with excitement as he relayed the intensity of the races – but his guarded stance revealed that something was… off. Exactly what, Ludwig couldn't even begin to guess. It was too subtle to make any accurate hypotheses. It could be something serious – maybe he was feeling guilty over what had happened yesterday, as unlikely as _that_ was – but then again, the Chargin' Chucks tournament _was_ coming up soon... perhaps he'd just been overdoing it in training again. Ludwig nearly snorted at that. If the idiot spent even a fraction of his time studying instead of training, maybe he wouldn't be so utterly incompetent.

Still, to be able to contact and convince a recluse as reserved and unsociable as Professor Fungi to visit Darkland in the span of six hours was… questionable at best, and borderline impossible at its worst. Obviously not totally impossible, since he was _right there_ , but… his point still stands. It was suspicious, almost unbelievable, and if the Professor hadn't had such an iconic way of conversing, it would've been denied outright that this was, in fact, the original.

The _ting_ of a typewriter caused Ludwig's attention to refocus on the elderly genius. He and Iggy exchanged nods, and the Professor began to head off down the hall.

Still a bit dumbfounded, he turned around and hesitantly waved to the rest of them. "I'll… see you guys in a bit."

They nodded, and off he went.

And when Ludwig turned to question Roy about the 'how' and the 'why', well… he discovered that the hothead was gone, too.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Hours later, when it was closer to suppertime and the professor had taken his leave, Iggy was practically beaming. Although he hadn't been allowed into his workshop, the Professor was granted access, and he'd had plenty of good things to say about Iggy's work. He had taken a small stack of papers with him to be assessed by the heads of the scientific community, and, if the plans were approved, Iggy would have no less than two dozen inventions patented and funded for mass production. The genius was absolutely ecstatic, though he tried his best to keep his emotions under wraps. He met the oldest on his way to supper, and Ludwig noted that he looked exhausted, but extremely pleased.

"How vas it?" As if he had to ask.

"I think I'm going to have to lay down after this," Iggy admitted, shaking a bit from the adrenaline. _Good,_ Ludwig thought, _At least he's planning on getting some much-needed rest._ "I never thought this would happen today. I owe you guys big."

Hesitantly, Ludwig shook his head. "I played no part in zhat final surprise. Zhat vas all Roy."

"Oh. Huh." Iggy looked as startled as Ludwig had felt. "Wonder how he managed to pull it off."

"Agreed."

There was silence between the two, Iggy slowly calming down and Ludwig being pleased that everything had gone so well today.

"You know, Ludwig…"

Ludwig glanced over, curious as to what he was going to say.

"You never answered my question." Iggy was careful to keep his face free from emotion, staring his older brother right in the eye. "Why would you do this?"

He knew he didn't need to explain much, so he simply shrugged and responded accordingly. "Your fear. Your simulation. I'm surprised zhat it ended up so much like Lemmy's, but it does make sense." Ludwig gave him a reassuring nod. "Know zhat ve are here for you. Ve vill not forget about you. Undt I have no doubt zhat you can overcome your fear, just so long as you know vhat it means."

And with that, as the dining room came into view, he turned away to go prepare for dinner, feeling accomplished that only two siblings now remained to assist.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…However, unbeknownst to the oldest, instead of heading off to do the same, a dark grin spread across Iggy's face as he stood alone in the large hallway.

 _Oh, but I know_ exactly _what it means, big brother. The most important thing is that_ you _don't._

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **This chapter was admittedly one of the harder ones to work on regarding what Ludwig would do - coming up with things that Iggy would like was a bit difficult, but I think I did alright! Only a few more left now!**

 **Professor Fungi is one of the options Toads from Mario Party 2! (Which I don't think I've ever played lol) He keeps records of the player's game!**


	16. Chapter 16: Model Sibling

"E-excuse me, Princess Wendy, Miss Pom Pom - Prince Ludwig asked me to tell you that he would like to see you down in the meeting room as soon as possible. H-he said it was very important."

Instead of the annoyed remark that Fizzlip was expecting, their faces lit up the moment their eyes landed on him.

Pom Pom let out a squeal of delight. "Okay when did you guys adopt a Fizzlet? He's so cute!"

Wendy simply smiled at her friend's response, in a good mood now that she had finally found her journal. It had been in a shoebox under her dresser – she hadn't remembered leaving it there, but so long as she had it, it didn't matter. "So you know that Fizzlet couple that moved into the castle and, like, had a baby like a year later, and his mom and dad showed him to us when we were playing together?"

"Ohhhh my goodness I remember that! That's this little guy?"

Wendy nodded, grinning widely now. "Remember when we used to sneak into the nursery and put bows on him?"

"Y-you did what?!" He squeaked, face beginning to fill with horror.

Before he could inquire further, Pom Pom lashed out and grabbed him in a tight hug, while Wendy snickered at the utter terror in the Fizzlet's face.

"Awww he's so soft and huggable!"

"M-Miss Pom Pom p-please put me down! Th-this is very uncomfortable!"

"He's just like a little throw pillow he's so adorable!"

Wendy laughed even harder as a squeak escaped the minion's mouth. "He sounds just like one of Chompella's toys!"

"I-I-um- j-just because I don't h-have any bones d-doesn't mean this is painless! P-please let me go!"

"Aww, fine, little cutie..."

His face completely red and his body partially smushed, he hopped a few feet away from the two girls and cleared his throat.

"I-if you could follow me, p-please!" He winced at his voice, higher than usual from the immense embarrassment. "I-it's quite urgent!"

Wendy simply shook her head in amusement. "Alright, alright. Lead the way, Fizzlip."

 **XXXXXXXX**

It annoyed him that it had taken two days just to set up this particular plan. He was grateful that he'd been able to at least be productive with Iggy's fears during this time, but it was still quite aggravating that it had taken so long to get everything ready… hopefully it would all run smoothly. He wasn't exactly a professional when it came to preparing for such an event, which is why he was reluctantly grateful that Pom Pom had been so eager to agree to it. He was also grateful that Wendy hadn't accidentally stumbled across the project while she'd presumably been hunting for her journal.

His preparations had been extensive, his orders clear and concise, and every detail was in place – he'd made sure of that early this morning.

So, with everything said and done, this plan could end in one of two ways.

On the one hand, she would be incredibly grateful and encouraged.

On the other, she would try to kill him.

Statistically speaking, the numbers weren't exactly adding up in his favour.

He really should've prepared a contingency.

"Hey, Ludwig, Fizzlip said you wanted to see me?"

Whelp. Too late now.

"What's-" Wendy paused, squinting in confusion at his outfit. "…what's with the suit?"

When she didn't receive an answer, it gave her the opportunity to look around the transformed gym, and her confusion was compounded at what was before her.

On the right side of the gym, a very large, white runway had been set up, with thick, red, velvet curtains blocking about a quarter of the gym from view. Silver stars hung from above the ceiling, and spotlights of various colours were pointed at the stage. Large speakers dotted the upper parts of the walls. On the left side of the gym was an unmanned turntable, and large tables with pink table cloths that were covered in food. A plush pink chair was situated in the middle of the room, all by itself, facing the runway. Directly above it was a massive silver disco ball.

"Vendy." Ludwig dipped his head in greeting, remaining emotionless. "Please have a seat."

She simply gaped at him. "Uhhhh…"

"Come _on_ , girl!" Pom Pom ushered her over to the large chair with a grin. "Everything is gonna be fiiiiiiine."

"I… I don't…" Wendy tried to understand what was going on as she sat down and Pom Pom rushed over to the curtains, slipping behind as the lights dimmed and music suddenly started pounding from the speakers, and two spotlights lit up and were positioned to the left side of the runway.

 _What is going ON?!_

From his place behind the curtain, Ludwig quickly assessed the situation. Buzzer was working away at the lights, and Lakibolt was controlling the turntable. The only real thing that could go wrong would be if Buzzer's wings gave out, but even then, Lakibolt could easily take his place.

He glanced back and nodded at the girls who were behind him, dressed and determined.

"Are you all ready?"

They returned his nod with their own, radiating excitement. A few anxiously fingered the new garments they wore.

Off to the side, the seamstresses were examining their work one last time, satisfied with how everything had turned out.

Seeing that everything was in place, Ludwig took in a breath, grabbed a microphone, and exited out onto the runway, extending a hand towards his sister as fast-paced, energetic music blared out from the speakers, the bass just powerful enough to send vibrations through the walls.

"Greetings, sister dearest, undt velcome to ze performance. I hope everyzhing vill be to your liking." _Undt if it's not, at least vait until ze very end to kill me._ Next to him, the green Paratroopa who had been initially instructed to care for his suit stepped up to take the microphone away. Once she did, Ludwig retreated into the back as she cleared her throat and spoke confidently.

"I present to you… Darkland's first ever Fashion Fest!"

From behind the curtains, Ludwig gauged his sister's reaction as the first minion stepped out: Mikuya the Ninji, wearing a flared pink gown with a massive bow on the back – well, massive compared to her, anyway.

Wendy's face went pale at the sight, then red, then her hands flew to her face and if Ludwig squinted, he could swear that she was beginning to tear up.

One by one, they all presented various designs that she'd made for each of them – they all came out at least two or three times each, with various outfits to display, all of them Wendy's designs. There were designs for Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Bob-Ombs, Piranha Plants, Koopatrol – even a pink Bumpty was displaying a rather fetching dark blue silk scarf. Ludwig silently wondered if she would be willing to design a male version for him.

He was too far to gauge her reactions, though each of her gal pals wore a large grin on their faces whenever they returned to the backstage area to switch to a different outfit, so he had a pretty good idea of the overall reception. As Pom Pom effortlessly described the specifics on each of the designs, he turned back to speak to the seamstresses.

"Zhe final surprise is good to go?"

"Yes, Prince Ludwig." Nella patted his arm reassuringly. "You worry too much, sweetie. Everything is fine and ready for its revealing."

"Excellent."

"And finally, yours truly, featuring a white flared summer dress with a gold belt and matching bracelets!" Pom Pom did a little twirl as she exited onto the runway, smiling confidently. "Like all of the pieces shown today, this is an O. Koopa Original, recreated by Nella and her team! Perfect for a picnic or a day at the beach!" She spun around to show the dress in its full glory.

"Thank you for attending the first ever Darkland Fashion Fest! We hope you enjoyed the show!"

The music cut out, the lights went on, and Ludwig slowly stepped out onto the runway to stand next to Pom Pom, who was staring down at her best friend, eager for her reaction.

"Vell? Vas it to your liking?"

As the silence extended, more and more of the girls poked their heads out from behind the curtains, some a bit nervous, and some very excited. Wendy herself was staring at the floor, gripping her chair with both hands. Finally, she spoke.

"I… I can't believe this…" Her voice was but a whisper. "I…" She looked up, tears streaming down her face. "I can't believe you'd all do something so nice for me… and… and I'm not even that much of a princess!"

Instantly some of her closest friends rushed out from backstage, vehemently denying her claims.

A Goomba named Kurachi was the first to reach the end of the runway, hopping off in order to approach the distressed Koopaling. Her red sequined shoes and matching bow glittered as she jumped up and down. "You're every bit a princess, Wendy! You're _way_ better than all those _human_ princesses!"

"None of them would ever do something like this for their friends, I bet!" A Pink Koopatrol named Slasha agreed. She was dressed in a white pleated skirt and a baby blue v-neck tank top with a darker blue, sequined floral pattern surrounding the neckline.

She rubbed some tears from her red eyes, bottom lip trembling a bit. "But I'm… I don't act like a princess... I'm more spoiled than anything… I'm just…" She took in a shaky breath. "I'm such an ugly person."

Instantly cries of protest filled the gym, and Wendy was taken aback by how intently they denied her feelings. By how much they visibly cared. They shouted out things that she had done for them, ways that she had helped them with their attacks or protected them in battle or gave them beauty tips.

A pink speckled Piranha Plant – aptly named Speckle – in a flowery hat popped up from the ground and shook her head. "Girl, you're awesome! You don't have to be all 'Mushroom Kingdom'. We like you for who you are!"

"Yeah!" Kurachi grinned. "Who wants to be a dainty little princess like Peach? I know it's our MO to kidnap her, but like, I could totally do without all the fake crying and screaming. Stupid pink puffball should just stand up for herself already!"

"All those mushroom girls are _so_ annoying," Pom Pom agreed. "Trying to be all sweet and cute and innocent. Ugh. Like, stop pretending and just grow a spine already."

"That's why we like you, Wendy." Mikuya looked up at the Koopaling happily. "You're true to yourself. You don't put on an act just because you're a princess."

"And your outfits are incredible!" Slasha exclaimed, smoothing out her clothes and admiring them. "How did you even get dimensions for a skirt my size?"

Ludwig couldn't have stopped her even if he tried.

"Oh, I had some measurements left over when Larry was younger and closer to your size." She smirked, getting to her feet and taking a moment to admire her designs up close. "I made him be a male-model for a kilt. It was _so_ funny."

…Well, if Wendy knew that Larry was the one who'd gotten her journal, he had just gotten his comeuppance. Ludwig gave it a day before this information was all over the castle and the second-youngest was shutting himself in his room from embarrassment.

Ludwig then approached, loudly clearing his throat to make himself heard through the raucous laughter. Wendy noticed his bid for attention and slipped over to him, curiosity covering her face.

"I apologize for not allowing you ze opportunity to do zhis yourself," he noted, dipping his head towards her, "But zere vas little else I could do in ze vay of assistance."

"That's totally fine, big bro," Her smile was huge, the largest he'd seen in a very long time. "I'm just, like, _so_ glad everyone likes my designs!"

"Vell, I'm sure you'll be glad to know zhat zere is von left."

Clattering wheels caught the Koopa princess' attention, and jaws dropped all around the room. Wendy stared in awe as a sparkling, light blue dress was rolled out by two of the younger seamstresses. It billowed gently in the slight breeze caused by the motion, and the bright lights made it sparkle even more.

"…Mozzer intended to make zhis for you vhen you eventually found a mate. However, I figured you vould appreciate it a bit sooner zhan zhat, given ze fact zhat zhat vill not be for some time."

She stared at it, dazed. "You've got that right… it's gonna take me awhile to find the perfect guy."

"Undt I'm sure you vill." He smiled proudly at his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder, a hint of a smirk behind his grin. "After all, nozzing but ze best for you, right?"

"Shut up," she laughed, smacking his shoulder good-naturedly, and then taking the microphone from him. He watched her smile as her friends gushed over the dress, making a silent note to thank the seamstresses for designing it so flawlessly.

Before he could turn away, however, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him back.

"Oh. And if you _ever_ touch my journal again, I'm shaving you bald and burning your music sheets. _Got it_?"

He silently nodded, not daring to look Wendy in the eye as she hissed into his ear. _There_ was the sister he knew so well. He had had a feeling that she wouldn't just let this go…

"Good."

She released him and turned back to the group, smiling brightly, calling out into the microphone as she made her way over to the dress to put it on.

"And now that we're all looking fabulous, I say let's get this party started!"

There were cheers throughout the auditorium, and the eldest could only shake his head in amusement as the music started up again, happy that his sister's glow was even stronger now, and silently relieved that he'd managed to pull this off unscathed.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Kinda rushed this chapter a bit, hopefully it's still alright!**


	17. Chapter 17: Midnight Reflections

**Alright, we've been getting into everyone else's heads. Let's get into Ludwig's a bit, shall we?**

 **XXXXXXXX**

It had been thirteen days since the simulation.

A brief glance at the clock on his wall revealed that it was well past midnight.

It had been fourteen days since the simulation.

Thirteen days since he'd helped Lemmy. Eleven days since he'd helped Larry. Nine days since he'd helped Morton and Junior. Six days since he'd helped Iggy. Five days since he'd helped Wendy.

Four days of doing absolutely nothing to help Roy.

Well, he wouldn't say _absolutely_ nothing. He'd attempted to approach the last Koopaling on multiple occasions, but it was either an inopportune time, or Roy was being too aggravating to assist.

He knew when he started this that it would take an exceptional amount of courage to confront his last sibling about his fears. With how turbulent the third eldest could be, even mentioning the simulations could be hazardous. While few of them were the sort to admit any sort of weakness, the hothead was particularly stubborn, and it would be easier to pull out a Piranha Plant's teeth without getting bit than getting him to talk about his fears.

And throughout the entirety of his quest to assist his siblings, he'd always been able to, in his opinion, get a good read on each of their psychological states. Even when they were being closed off and didn't want to speak, simply looking at them was enough to tell what they were feeling. After all, they say that the eyes reveal emotions, thoughts, and intentions, and he wanted to use that to his advantage to get them to open up.

But it's not exactly easy to pull off when they're blacked out.

He sighed. Four days of being unable to even begin to hypothesize about what could send the hothead into such a volatile condition.

His mind drifted back to the events that had led to his current reflective state.

Four days ago, he'd tried to come up with a plan, to analyze his brother from afar in hopes of figuring what his fear was. It was to no avail.

 **XXXXXXXX**

Alvright, focus... this is ze last von. If I don't vord zhings just right, everyzing vill fall apart in an instant.

 _Ludwig casually glanced off to the left during breakfast, where Morton and Roy were chatting away while stuffing their faces with pancakes, possibly leftover from Iggy's buffet a few days before. For someone so quick-tempered, he was certainly hard to read when he wasn't mad. He seemed completely relaxed at the moment._

How do I know he didn't overcome his fear on his own?

 _He let out a quiet scoff the moment the thought passed through his mind._ Oh please. He's not competent enough for zhat.

 _Ludwig spent the day silently tailing him, making sure to avoid being seen too frequently – even his simple-minded brother would likely notice that._

 _The brute's routine consisted of a vigorous amount of physical training, conversing with Morton and Junior, challenging Wendy to a casual race next week, working away at a rather large turntable, giving training advice to some of the Chargin' Chucks, greeting a handful of minions under his jurisdiction, and playing video games with Larry._

 _Surprisingly, he was pretty calm throughout most of the day, even going so far as to control his temper when Iggy and Lemmy ended up pieing him. The two of them looked ready to bolt when they realized who they'd inadvertently pranked, but he simply grit his teeth, let out a breath, and shrugged it off, expressing verbal annoyance that they'd messed up his shades, but doing nothing beyond that. Definitely odd, but it didn't really give the eldest a clue as to what his simulation was._

 _Ludwig ended the day feeling quite unproductive in his research._

 **XXXXXXXX**

Three days ago, he'd tried to confront Roy – multiple times – with every attempt ending in a hasty retreat or an interruption.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _For his first attempt, he'd approached him rather early in the morning, before breakfast. He'd happened to notice the hothead making his way to the gym, and, rather surprised that he was up so early, he steeled himself for a direct confrontation, running through conversation possibilities in his head. The sooner he helped Roy with his fear, the sooner he could be done with this whole phrenic bedlam and focus his own rather disquieting mental state. Not that he really_ wanted _to help Roy, admittedly, but better to just get it over with than have his mind nagging at him that he'd left his task incomplete._

 _But the moment he finally reached his younger brother, alone and slamming into a punching bag with vicious furor, he was suddenly consumed by a powerful feeling of anxiety, almost like he had been forced into his simulation once more, and before he knew it he found himself scurrying down the hallway in a desperate attempt to escape… what, exactly? Even as he pressed his shell against a pillar, obscured from view, he didn't know. He stiffened when he heard a faint, furious roar coming from the direction he'd just left, and, after a few minutes of silence, sighed in relief when he realized that he was still alone, though his stress levels were almost through the roof. Putting up with that imbecile may be more difficult than he'd first speculated._

 _Maybe… he'd talk to him later. Yes. Later would be a_ much _wiser option._

 _After calming down and trying – and failing – to identify why he'd been so beset by such a strong feeling of panic and unease and a desperate, almost instinctive need to escape, he grit his teeth and determined that he would try again, avoiding direct confrontation this time, and would make sure that others were around to prevent any unnecessary violent lashings out._

 _During minion training – their groups were assigned to share this particular gym for the next few days, oh_ joy _–_ _he'd tried, a handful of times, to casually engage in conversation without giving his intentions away, but before he could even begin to steer the discussion in a more psychological direction in hopes of getting him to slip up in his speech, a minion would always come up and – after profusely apologizing – hesitantly request for a bit of assistance in executing a certain attack. Roy would give Ludwig a weird look before shaking his head and walking off to see what the problem was._

 _Okay, perhaps 'casual' wasn't exactly Ludwig's strong suit, but hey, it wasn't like the idiot was going to notice something was up._

 _There were more instances that day where Ludwig attempted to approach Roy in hopes of confronting him about his fears. One had him attempt to formally introduce the subject, before their father passed by and insisted that they get to work testing one of the latest boss machines that were to be used against Mario. Another had him approaching Roy while he was listening to music, but again, he held himself back, insisting that the hothead wouldn't take kindly to being interrupted, and he retreated to rethink his strategy. A third had him attempt to pen a letter to avoid confrontation, explaining what he was attempting to do and requesting that Roy meet him to discuss his simulation so that he could assist with his overcoming it, but it was quickly burned up. This was definitely because the moron wouldn't even begin to understand the complicated jargon Ludwig used on a daily basis and not because his fountain pen had shot ink all over it and reminded him of a blackened arm made of sludge, ripping his siblings from him one by one._

 _As Ludwig stared at the charred remains of the note, it became obvious to him that he was stalling, but he had no clue as to why that could be._

 **XXXXXXXX**

Two days ago, during his training, Roy had approached him instead, and, with his guard up, Ludwig had quickly shut down any attempts at communication.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _He'd been working with a few of the minions who were still learning to control their natural electrical abilities. One of them, a rather green Blue Electro-Koopa, had attempted to launch her shell with a full charge, resulting in lighting shooting sporadically all over the gymnasium and forcing most of the minions to scurry for cover. In his attempt to defend a young Lakitu who was more proficient in using Ice Spinies than anything electrical, the eldest prince had received a jarring bolt to his arm, causing him to yell out in shock._

 _No pun intended._

 _The zap had rendered his arm tingling and paralyzed, and he clutched at it with grit teeth, jolts of pain running the length of it. The terrified Electro-Koopa began apologizing profusely, though her words went mostly ignored as Ludwig was too busy making sure that he hadn't sustained any serious injuries._

 _"_ _You alright?!"_

 _His eyes barely darted to glance over at Roy, who had been training his own group of Chargin' Chucks on the other side of the gym. "I am fine."_

 _A brief examination revealed no visible or muscular damage, but MAN did it sting…_

 _"_ _You sure? I mean, I know you're all about electrical stuff but that couldn't have been painless." Roy jerked a thumb behind him, towards one of the exits that lead to the nearest infirmary. "Maybe we should–"_

 _"_ _I. AM. FINE."_

 _The pure venom in his voice made Roy step back a good three paces, both hands at the ready in case the verbal attack became physical. The minions around them went silent – the Electro-Koopa fearfully inching away – and Ludwig still refused to look his brother in the eye, visibly tense, like a Blitty ready to swipe at an opponent should it dare approach any further._

 _"…_ _fine. Be that way."_

 _The two brothers went their separate ways, Roy ordering the Chucks outside with an irritated shout, while Ludwig dismissed his group, though not without stern instructions that the Electro-Koopa was to train with the Amps for the time being until she could better control her electrical abilities._

 **XXXXXXXX**

And yesterday, he'd ignored the hothead completely, not even so much as sparing him a glance, too irritated to even attempt to converse.

From mealtimes to training to even so much as passing each other in the hallways, Ludwig didn't look at his brother once. He was still angry about the entire situation in the gym, and he wanted nothing to do with his younger sibling.

…now that he'd had time to think about it though, what point was there? Roy had absolutely nothing to do with the Electro-Koopa... if anything, it was almost like he was trying to help.

 _Ha. As if. He probably vanted nozzing more zhan to mock me._

He blinked. No, that wasn't right. He seemed at least somewhat genuinely concerned… or, as genuine as he could get, anyway.

And as he lay there, realizing that Roy actually _hadn't_ had any ill intentions in that moment, Ludwig's mind shifted to the various comments he'd made about his brother, and he slowly became horrified as he realized how dark they truly were.

 _He does nothing but harm the ones he's supposed to care about._

 _I didn't think it'd be necessary… we're here for some fun, not a vicious competition._

 _Something as reckless and as unpredictable as this._

 _He doesn't even have feelings._

 _…_ _Vhy did I say zhat?_

 _Vhat is_ wrong _vith me?_

A pang of guilt struck him, and he rolled over onto his shell, the soft bedding and increasingly late hour doing nothing to increase his fatigue.

Ludwig reflected on the pure terror he'd seen on his brother's screen after the simulations had ended, fourteen days ago.

How he violently shook, brought to his knees by whatever unseen horrors he'd been subject to. The tightness of his posture. The defensive positioning of his arms. The clenched teeth. The tears.

Whatever it was that he'd experienced, the eldest had a pretty good feeling that it wasn't like any of the others' fears.

And yet, he still didn't feel the same empathy that he did towards the rest of his siblings. The willingness to help them overcome their concerns.

 _But just because I do not feel villing… does zhat mean I should do nozzing?_

With eyes focused on the ceiling, he let out a defeated sigh.

 _…_ _Nein… I can't continue to allow zhese negative emotions to get ze better of me. It vould not be fair to Roy for me to assist everyvon else undt zhen ignore him simply because ve don't get along. I mean, look at vhat he did for Ignatius, undt ze two of zhem barely even interact. I_ still _don't know how he managed to pull zhat off._

He reluctantly nodded. Tomorrow… or rather, later today… he would do his best to resolve this situation.

…He just needed to come up with a plan first.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **OH BOY HERE WE GO**

 **LUDWIG VERSUS ROY BATTLE OF THE STUBBORN BROS**


	18. Chapter 18: Day 14

**HERE WE GO**

 **XXXXXXXX**

Ludwig sat in his blackened music room, completely uninspired. He'd tried to come up with a plan, to no avail, and had decided to retreat to his piano in an attempt to distract himself and give his mind a break.

He'd lost track of the number of times he'd tried to approach Roy since the simulation, with every single attempt ending in failure. He tried to stay polite if he was forced to converse with him, but it was getting to the point where it was just easier to leave the room. And ever since he'd completely blown up at Roy for training with Junior, things had only gone downhill.

And _he didn't know why._

It was immensely aggravating – to the point that he couldn't even focus on his compositions.

It's not like they got along on a day to day basis – it was normal, even expected, that the two of them were arguing or otherwise not seeing things eye to eye. But ever since the simulation, things had gotten even more difficult.

It was almost like they were actually…

…Enemies.

The thought was nothing short of alarming, at best, and he growled slightly, anxiety beginning to stab at him as he tried once again to come up with a plan. A futile effort, but he knew he had to do _something_. The longer he waited, the more difficult it was going to get, and the more likely it was that this new tension between them would begin to negatively affect the others.

His mind remained blank, like the papers before him.

"Zhis is ridiculous…" he snarled, shoving the papers away and folding his arms in a huff, slumping down in a manner reflecting surprisingly poor posture. "Not a single idea. Undt I cannot continue to postpone zhis confrontation." Ludwig ran a hand down his face as he stared at the black and white ivory in front of him, shaking his head to refocus himself. "Zere's got to be some surefire vay to talk to Roy about zhis..."

"Talk to me about what?"

His hands slammed down as he jumped, creating a reverberating cry that shattered the silence of his room, and his eyes darted to the left, towards the door.

Towards where his younger brother was leaning casually against the frame, as unreadable as ever.

"Roy you practically gave me a heart attack!" Ludwig spat, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Funny, comin' from the guy who always claims he keeps the door shut because he can hear us walking by even when he's playing."

Ludwig didn't dare respond, looking resolutely at the keyboard and hoping that his irritated silence would get the hothead to leave.

Instead, he heard a sigh. "Look, I know something's up. You've been avoiding me all week, and when you DO talk to me, you're either yelling at me or being all formal and nervous like you're about to tell me you broke my shades. Frankly, it's getting annoying. So stop being a wimp and just spit it out already."

He was caught off guard by his younger brother's perceptiveness. He had thought that he had been extremely subtle with his approaches.

 _Eizzer I vas incredibly obvious, or Roy is smarter than I zought._

However, with how stubborn he himself was, he wasn't about to let his brother get the upper hand so easily. At the very least, it would give him a few more seconds to come up with a plan of attack. "Undt vhy, exactly, do you care?" Ludwig folded his arms and stared him down intently, unable to keep the challenging tone out of his voice. "Not to be offensive, but ze concept of you approaching me in hopes of giving assistance is razzer preposterous."

Surprisingly enough, Roy actually didn't seem visibly offended, and he didn't become irate at the provocation. He simply shook his head and shrugged carelessly. "Like I said, it's getting annoying. And if what happened during the Chain Chomp migration happens again, when it actually matters, well…" He grinned, a bit darkly. "I don't want to deal with the consequences."

Right. The last thing they needed was the two of them getting into a fight when their siblings were in danger. That was one of the main reasons why Ludwig needed to confront Roy in the first place, after all. He was just surprised that the hothead had had a similar train of thought.

Hesitantly, he dipped his head, allowing himself to concede. "...vhat concerns me eez not exactly light material. I do not wish to approach zhis ze vay you vould."

"And that would be?"

"Vithout any tact."

"Ah." He smirked slightly. "Well you wouldn't be wrong. But for real." Sensing the seriousness of whatever subject was weighing on Ludwig's mind, Roy glanced outside and, seeing no one, flicked the light on and shut the door behind him. The eldest heard the click of the lock for good measure before Roy roughly scraped a chair against the stone floor, plopping down a few feet away from the genius. On seeing his questioning gaze, Roy presumably rolled his eyes and let out an irritated sigh.

"Look, I may not be the best at this, but if something's bugging ya, the least I can do is let you get it off your chest without you... wigging out if someone comes in outta nowhere."

Inwardly groaning at the clearly intentional pun, Ludwig knew that it was now or never. Roy was as stubborn as his father, and his posture clearly indicated that he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

 _So zhis is how Iggy felt..._

Still, even with how much he disliked the current turn of events, Ludwig didn't argue against his brother's actions any further. After all, this may be his only chance to find out what he wanted to know.

Of course, getting to that point may be more difficult than anticipated.

"...You may be initially angered by my vords."

Roy tilted his head, scoffing a bit. "Try me."

Ludwig carefully regarded the hothead, and three facts made themselves evident.

Fact one: Roy came here expecting the worst - especially so if he had mentioned breaking his shades. Of course, the third oldest had no idea how bad the worst could actually be.

Fact two: Roy was prepared to control his temper, which was a bonus, but there was no guarantee said preparation was enough for what he was about to reveal to him.

Fact three: Ludwig couldn't sugar-coat it or beat around the bush. He would have to get straight to the point – being gentle in this instance wouldn't make a difference. His brother hated indirect implications – mainly because he almost never understood them – so trying to hint at the problem would only serve to frustrate them both.

"It's… about ze simulation." He carefully watched as Roy nodded slightly. He was calm so far, but Ludwig knew that this was about to change. "After it had been completed, I vent to ze control room to converse vith ze minion zhat had been in charge..." Another nod. "…Undt you should be avare zhat each of ze rooms had live video surveillance to view undt record our reactions."

True to his expectations, Roy instantly bristled, fangs barred in incredulous fury.

"You tellin' me some random minion knows about what happened?!"

Ludwig held up a hand, face as stoic as ever. "Said minion is under my jurisdiction and vas svorn to secrecy. I confirmed insistence on his silence after zhe experiment – I trust zhis to be honest, and you know zhat does not come lightly for me."

"Oh great, this is just–" He took in a deep breath to calm himself, though he was still visibly irked. "You're not gonna tell me who it is."

"You are correct." Steeling himself, he stared his brother down to fully solidify the seriousness of the situation, looking straight into the black glass that still sent a twinge of panic down his shell. "But some random minion seeing your reactions is ze least of your concerns."

This earned a raised eyebrow. "...meaning?"

Well. Time to drop the bob-omb.

"I saw zhem, too."

 **XXXXXXXX**

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

"Oh."

That's how long it took for the full meaning of his words to hit Roy, and when they did, Ludwig watched his brother's face slowly contort to one of suppressed anger and annoyance to what could only be described as disbelief and downright panic.

"Ohhhhh."

They sat awkward silence for about a full minute, his brother's claws digging into the chair beneath him as he realized the implications of this revelation. The eldest could tell that Roy was feeling trapped. He had come looking for answers, and now that he had gotten them, he probably wanted nothing more than to bolt for the door and forget this had ever happened.

Basically, Roy had trapped Ludwig into trapping himself.

"Roy, I promise you, I meant no harm by eet." He spoke slowly, calmly, in a probably futile attempt to prevent the storm from bursting forth. "I simply vanted to help you all overcome your fears."

Rage exploded.

Ludwig knew the situation all too well - use anger to cover up any perceived weakness. It happened with his father, it happened with his siblings, and it happened with him. It may have been crude, though it was definitely a good way to let off steam.

But being on the receiving end of it was not the slightest bit pleasant.

"I can't BELIEVE this. I seriously can't believe that you'd just turn around and watch us freak out and use ' _helping us_ ' as an excuse to get away with it!"

"I had no intentions of zhat!"

"Oh, really?!" Roy was on his feet now, yelling loudly storming around the room, kicking the chair over as when passed it. "Because, knowing you, you've probably already wormed everyone else's fears out of them! If you think I'm going to just stand around and let you MOCK me, you've got another thing coming!"

"I didn't–"

"And _now_ , you pretend to be all wary around me and make it all obvious that you're hiding something because you _know_ it's going to annoy me, and then you turn around and try and trap me to spill what I went through just to use it against me!"

"Roy, I'm not–"

Smoke began to pour from his nostrils. "This is all some sort of SICK JOKE to you, isn't it?!"

"It's not, I just–"

"If you tell ANYONE what you saw, I will PERSONALLY shred _every_ piece of music I can find!"

 _He's mad... he's furious... he's gonna go out and hurt one of my siblings-_

"Ugh... stop it." He muttered to himself, smacking his head to try to get the slanderous thought to leave. Now was definitely not the time for this.

Unfortunately, the other Koopaling heard him and took it as a shot, and was all too eager to fire back – metaphorically, thank goodness – his arms swinging out, teeth barred, fury radiating off of him in droves. "Seriously?! You pull this kind of... of... manipulation stunt and then you get annoyed at me for getting mad?!"

"No I vasn't talking to YOU!" Ludwig shouted, becoming exasperated at how quickly things had gone downhill.

"Well I don't see anyone else in the room!" Roy jabbed a finger at him. "Unless you've got this on hidden camera or something, to milk fame where your music failed by broadcasting all our fears!"

"Vhy vould I even consider zhat?!"

"You tell me! Actually, don't bother. Because I'm GONE."

Roy stormed for the door and Ludwig stood up, desperately keeping his voice as calm as he could, knowing that whatever he said now was probably his last chance to get Roy to open up about this.

"Look, I honestly vanted nozzing more zhan to help you all overcome your fears! I have no intention of using zhem against you - I've been trying to discuss zhis vith ze ozzers since it began, and I vant to help you, too!" _If only to prevent zhe ozzers from getting hurt._

"Yeah, well I don't WANT or NEED your help!"

"But _I_ vant to help! I vant to, despite ze fact zhat-"

He was almost out the door now. There was no time. He had to stop him. Somehow. Whatever it took.

 _He's going to hurt someone._

 _I need to stop him._

 _I can't stop him._

 _I can't._

 _I'm…_

 _I'm too…_

 _…_

 _…_ _Scared._

"-Despite ze fact zhat I'm afraid of you!"

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **DUN**  
 **DUN**  
 **DUNNNNNNNNN**  
 **THE TRUTH COMES OUT**

 **I have waited years**  
 **YEARS**  
 **To share these next chapters**  
 **Like, I started physically writing this in 2016, and parts of this chapter and the next were some of the first things I wrote.**

 **Oh man I'm so happy to finally be able to post this! Let's GO!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Final Nightmare

**This has been such a ride lol - I've been waiting for this chapter for forever - I hope this doesn't sound presumptuous, and I apologize if it  
does, but I just love the psychological analysis! I was worried that I didn't get them to talk enough, but I feel like if they had talked any more  
it would've been out of character... here we go!**

 _ **The Final Nightmare**_

 **XXXXXXXX**

He hadn't meant to say that.

He really, _really_ hadn't meant to say that.

It was as if a stopwatch had gone off in the room. Everything stood still, Roy's hand on the doorknob, arm tense as it was about to rip the door off its hinges. Perhaps literally.

His voice was so quiet that Ludwig had to strain to hear him.

"You're... afraid of me?"

"I..." It was too late to retract his statement, and he couldn't even if he wanted to. It made so much sense… how had he not put the pieces together before now? From how he acted, to how he spoke down about his brother, to how he was constantly on guard whenever he was around him… But that wasn't important right now, because the oldest finally came to realize what exactly had to be done in order to find out the truth.

He silently gulped and steeled himself for what he was about to say.

"I'm... not entirely sure, but... you played a prominent role in my simulation."

Normally such a confession would result in merciless mockery, but for once, the bully stayed silent.

So, taking it as an invitation to continue, Ludwig did the one thing he never thought he would have to do. He had been the one to acknowledge his fear first. He shouldn't have had to relieve these moments like he'd made the rest of his siblings do, but he supposed it was only fair that he should have his turn.  
So he told his younger brother everything. From how their siblings were wrenched away, to how Roy was the source, to his multiple uncontrollable situations, even bringing up how Roy had sold his siblings off to the Mario Brothers, and his own personal mental breakdown.

"...vhich lead me to discover my fear. So vhile I do not believe zhat you are my central fear, I cannot help but be concerned over ze role you played. Vell, not you, but razzer your simulated self."

Throughout the whole thing, the purple-shelled Koopaling didn't budge an inch. It wasn't until the end of the tale that he spoke up.

"...and you… honestly think I would do those things...?" The surprising amount of hurt in his brother's voice made Ludwig's next statement that much more difficult to express.

"I... cannot say for certainty." He hesitated, but went on. "…However, zere must be a grain of truth if my cerebrum selected you to be ze cause of much of my breakdown."

Roy was silent for a few moments more, digesting this newfound information as best he could. He then ran a hand over his bald pink head and finally, reluctantly, turned back to face the eldest once more, mouth set in a grim line.

"...Well, I guess you can't control it, but... jeez..." He sighed, sounding very tired. "I didn't realize you guys thought I was that... brutal. No wonder you were so defensive when Junior and I were training… I guess it could've looked bad if you didn't know what was going on… I mean, I thought you were just trying to take over, like you usually do, but…" He glanced down at his hands. "…I didn't think the real reason would be so much worse."

The hint of despair in his brother's voice alarmed him, and he instantly attempted to reassure his brother. "I apologize for such selfish and unvarranted behaviour. It vas unkind on my part and not how I should have handled zhings… If it's any consolation, you vere mainly absent in ze ozzers. In fact, I vas ze prominent source of trepidation in Junior's simulation."

"That goes without saying, honestly. Everyone knows you and the squirt didn't always get along. Some still think so."

"Trust me, if I could control his fear, I-"

 _Without full control there was always the possibility that something could go wrong._

 _His mind was still racing to make sure that things went his way, that he had control of the situation as he spoke._

 _Focus. Relax. Control yourself._

 _You've got everything under control. You always do._

 _If they just gave him a second to control the situation maybe he could explain-_

 _It would be so much easier for me to control things if they simply–_

 _I had the situation under control, Wendy._

 _I need to be in control._

 _I am in control._

 _"_ _A fear… my fear… of losing control…"_

And that's when the second realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He stared at the floor with a feeling of absolute dread sinking over him. Finally it clicked, finally it made sense as to why he would go so far to subject himself and his siblings to such emotional torture.

Man, he was an IDIOT.

"You'd what?"

"...I vould. I vould control zhem, but I cannot... zhat's vhy..." He looked up again, making relative eye contact with his younger brother, fear faintly etched in his facial features, slowly morphing into horror as the reality hit him. "Zhat's vhy I vanted to know. Vhy I vanted to help so badly. I zought..." He couldn't believe he was saying this. "My fear made me zink zhat I could control yours."

Roy scoffed a bit, former despair vanishing under his attitude. "Yeah, that's real stupid. You can't control someone else's fears."

"Yes I'm AVARE of zhat but zhat's vhat makes fear irrational." He ran a hand through his hair, feeling ashamed that he'd let his fear take over him so easily, without him even noticing. "My fear... my fear of losing control. Undt it makes sense zhat you vould be so prominent... out of everyvon, you are ze least controllable element."

"So lemme get this straight." Roy folded his arms, face devoid of emotion. "This whole time you wanted to help the rest of us overcome our fears and you had no idea why, and now you realize that the reason why is because you were giving into your fear in the first place?"

"...zhat sounds really stupid undt overcomplicated."

He received a snort of derision. "Sounds right to me, then. Most of you _is_ real stupid and overcomplicated."

He should've been irritated by the insult, but after what he had done, he couldn't bring himself to annoyance. Instead, guilt struck at his conscience and he turned away, hands gripping his upper arms in a vain attempt to close himself off, refusing to look his brother in the eye. "Perhaps you should go, zhen... I vouldn't vant to be a hypocrite, giving into my fear vhile encouraging ze rest of you to overcome your own."

"Look, Luddy." Guilt couldn't prevent him from shooting an irritated glare at the nickname. "Obviously it shook you up real good if you can't get over it. And..." He scratched his head reluctantly. "The others seem to be doing better after... bleh... talking about it. Why they'd talk to you, of all Koopas, I'll never know. But... if it helps you not to be afraid of me, then... I guess it doesn't matter if one person knows." Roy seemed very uncomfortable with the prospect, but refused to allow himself to waver. "So long as you keep your mouth shut."

"I vill, but only if you truly vant to."

"Honestly? I don't." Roy returned to his chair, righted it, and plopped down to make himself as comfortable as he possibly could. "But I'm not gonna sit by and let some techie brain video tell me what I'm... nervous about."

"Very vell... and Roy?"

"Huh?"

"...zank you."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 _So it started off pretty boring. The black, the silence, whatever. Scarier things under Morton's bed._

 _Then we were at the trails. We were all going for a hike up Rocky Mountains – up Boulder Pass to the Sunset Peaks – my favourite place to go. I was leading the way, since I knew it best and all. We were about halfway up when we came to a rockslide that was blocking our path. It looked pretty fresh._

 _That should've been my first clue._

 _Most of you were disappointed – Wendy didn't really care, obviously – but I really wanted to get to the top. More than anything. We'd been planning it for months and I wasn't gonna let a few boulders get in the way._

 _Larry was the one who thought we should head back down, but I wasn't having any of it._

 _"_ _We could just climb up from here," I said, "I do it all the time, and it's safer than Grasslands."_

 _And I started to go up a path I had used countless times before, the rest of you watching below. I knew it like the back of my hand. I was about halfway up, and some of you had started to follow me._

 _That's when the rock moved._

 _It was a small one. It got rolling and fell down the mountainside, nearly crashing into Junior's skull. We stared after it for about three seconds before I felt the boulders under me begin to shift. The little rock had somehow been keeping everything together, and my setting it loose caused a chain reaction that sent hundreds of rocks tumbling down towards the rest of you._

 _I managed to scramble up and watched, helpless, as you all screamed out, boulders hitting you and eventually pushing you all off the side of the cliff._

 _I saw the pure terror in your eyes as, one by one, you each slipped off and fell. The screams echoed so much longer than they should've. I couldn't block them out, no matter how hard I tried._

 _Then I was at the castle doors, thrown out, with everyone looking down on me._

 _"How could you cause this?!"_

 _"They're gone because of you!"_

 _"You've ruined everything!"_

 _It switched to Peach, Mario, and Luigi. The three of them, glaring down at me with such… hatred._

 _The brothers held chains that bound me, to send me off to the deepest dungeons._

 _The princess held a large metal ring in her hand. Eight different cuffs were hanging from the ring, battered and flattened and broken._

 _All I could hear as they dragged me off was your screams, your pain, the moment replaying itself over and over again… and the princess, who told me one last thing before I was left alone in the darkness and the simulation ended._

 _"_ _You are nothing but a MONSTER."_

 _…_

 _Before, I was scared I couldn't do anything. That I wasn't strong enough. That I was helpless. That I would fail._

 _But this? This was a thousand times worse._

 _I knew what it was. I knew it but I couldn't admit it to myself because if I said it out loud…_

 _…_

 _…_

…

"If I said it out loud… then it would be real."

As the final words left his mouth, Roy sat there, head in his hands, claws pressed so hard against his skull Ludwig was sure there would be marks left over. The tension was so thick you could slice a blade through it.

"Before… you feared not being able to save zhem from harm." As much as he could tell Roy didn't want to hear it, he knew he couldn't hide from it forever.

Ludwig had learned that the hard way.

"Undt now… you fear being zhe cause."

He heard his brother release a shaky breath.

"…yeah."

The eldest didn't dare say that that exact train of thought was what was making him lash out so frequently.

The two brothers sat in silence, Ludwig digesting what Roy had told him and Roy presumably facing the reality of his nightmares. He had to give the brute at least a little bit of credit – he'd figured out his nightmare right away. The only thing that had prevented him from completing the simulation was his stubborn refusal to admit it.

And really, who could blame him?

Roy suddenly gritted his teeth and was on his feet in an instant, anger radiating from him as he stared Ludwig down. "And don't you _DARE_ say that it'll never happen!" He snarled, face contorted in rage, taking a menacing step forward and slapping a hand against his own chest with a loud smack. "LOOK at me, Ludwig! Do you honestly think there's anyone more capable of ripping this family apart?! Your OWN nightmare had ME as the bad guy. Dragging them into darkness! Turning them into puppets! Shipping everyone off to work for those stupid fat plumbers!" He jabbed his index finger forward, nearly poking Ludwig in the nose. "YOU are the smartest of all of us, and even YOU think I'm gonna doom us all!"

Ludwig gave no reply.

Adrenaline spent, Roy collapsed back in the chair, face unreadable.

"This whole time, you know… this whole time, I'm fighting to forget what happened. Real or not, I fought fang and claw to push that stupid nightmare away, to not think about it. Like you've told me a hundred times, not thinking's what I do best… guess it paid off, least a little bit." He growled slightly. "And then you started acting all weird, ignoring me and pushing me away from everyone cuz you kept dwelling on _yours_ like the OCD Koopa you are. Part of me – the part that I wanted to believe – kinda felt like you were trying to take over. Like you always do."

Ludwig looked to him.

"And then part of me kinda felt like you somehow saw my nightmare and thought it was real."

Silence.

He let out a scoff when he received no reply, no rebuttal. "Funny, in a real twisted way. Here you go trying to stop me from being around the others, thinking I'm gonna end up hurting them, and here I go trying to be around them as much as possible to prove that that would never happen." A laugh escaped his lips, but it was defeated, drained, and hurt, all at once. "Can't really blame you, honestly… guess I'm just a stupid brute who can't even think about the consequences."

"…I'm sorry."

Roy nearly sputtered in disbelief. "For what? You couldn't control your nightmare. If anything, it just proves how likely MINE is."

"Zhat's not vhat it vas about."

"Oh I know. But it may as well have been." A slight growl echoed through the room. "I'm the uncontrollable element. The unpredictable one. The one th-that…"

He took in a breath to try and calm his shaking voice.

"…The one that this family is better off without."

Never, in his wildest hypotheses, had the eldest expected the hothead to feel so… worthless.

And could he blame him? If that had been _his_ simulation, he knew that the guilt would've been eating him up for weeks. _He_ certainly would've tried to spend as much time with his siblings as possible, to prove that it wasn't true.

Feeling the need to at least contradict his brother's claims, he straightened himself and cleared his throat. "…Roy–"

But he was instantly cut off, a hand held up to stop him from speaking. "Don't try and argue this with me, okay? You can fight it all you want, but that isn't going to change the facts. And it's _definitely_ not going to change the fact that you feel the same way."

He wanted to deny it, but… he couldn't.

And both of them knew it.

"I know it may sound stupid, but..." He shook his head. "Look, I heard about everything." He waved a hand as Ludwig watched him, confused. "Morton isn't good at keeping secrets."

"Vhat… do you mean?"

"I know what you were trying to pull. I know you were trying to help everybody. And you were going around and asking others to help, too, while making sure I stayed as far away from them as possible." He hissed slightly, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "I know it may sound stupid, but it _hurt_. It felt like… like I was getting shut out of my own family. I mean, I get why you were doing it, especially now, but… that didn't make it any easier."

Remorse started to bubble up inside of the eldest. In his misguided attempts to protect his siblings, he'd ended up hurting one of them in the process. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to hurt you."

"I know. The last thing you want is for them to get hurt." He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "And the last thing _I_ want is to hurt one of you guys."

"But you still pushed Morton into ze pool undt could've severely damaged him." The words were out before he could stop them, and he internally cringed, waiting for the seemingly inevitable explosion.

Roy didn't get angry, however. To the eldest's surprise, he simply let out a snort of annoyance. "Yeah, and I nearly turned my skull purple from bashing it against a wall afterwards. Just cuz I didn't show it doesn't mean I didn't feel awful about it afterwards. I was so mad that I didn't do anything but attack the punching bag for two days straight."

Well, that explained his angry reaction the night before their racing day. And, on that note, maybe it was a good thing he hadn't invited him to race on the mountains… the last thing he would've needed was that glaring reminder of his simulation. And seeing him push Morton into the lake. Yeah that definitely wouldn't have ended well.

"It's just…"

Ludwig glanced over, mentally pushing Morton's scenario away. He needed to focus.

Roy lowered his head and stared at his hands. "What if…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "What if I do something stupid… and one of you gets really hurt? There were so many close calls because of me. So many things that could've gone so wrong."

A fair point… and one that definitely had crossed the oldest Koopaling's mind on multiple occasions whenever they and their siblings were on a mission. Not that he was going to say that, obviously. A thought struck him, and he grimaced a bit as he tried to find the best way to word it.

The truth hurts, after all.

"…Roy," he began, slowly, "…I vill be honest vith you, undt zhis may not be vhat you vant to hear." He glanced to the side, unsure of whether or not Roy was actually looking at him, but continuing on nonetheless. "As it stands, it is currently impossible for any of us to exist vithout hurting somevon, even vith our vords. Ve are not perfect."

Despite the sombre situation, Roy snorted and a faint smirk flashed across his face. "Real funny, coming from you, of all Koopas."

"Shush."

"SOME of us don't seem to think so LOWLY of ourselves."

"Yes yes I am avare, zhank you."

"LUDWIG."

"I GET IT." He took in a breath to compose himself. "…ze point is, zough you vere hasty in your simulation, your actions vere not purposeful. You did not intend to harm anyvon. All ve can do is try to repair ze damage undt move on."

"I know. I just…" Roy removed his sunglasses, eyes firmly shut, rubbing his eyelids with his fingers, before letting out a sigh. Then he returned his shades to his face and presumably reopened his eyes, because his head tilted down towards his hands once more. "Just the thought of any one of you getting hurt because of me… because of how reckless I am… it… it _scares_ me. I _know_ I don't always think, but sometimes you don't have _time_ to think. If I hesitate, you guys could get hurt. If I rush in, you guys could _still_ get hurt. And I just don't have the brains you do to know _when_ to do _what_. It was just… easier to take my chances and not hesitate, because then at least I'm there, taking the hits for you, instead of letting you all get hurt because of not doing anything. I would probably hate myself forever if I did that." Roy's head went back up. "But now… what if I do something I can't fix?"

"Zhen you deal vith zhat situation vhen ze time comes. You may be reckless, but you are not an idiot… as much as I may declare ozzervise." Ludwig glanced over at him. "Inevitably, you or somevon you care for vill get hurt. It may be by your hand, it may not be. But berating yourself for it before somezing even happens vill not assist anyvon, least of all you yourself."

Roy didn't say anything, so Ludwig took this as an opportunity to continue.

"Getting caught up in every little vhat if… it von't do you any good. I speak from experience. You trust your judgement undt your instincts, undt for ze most part you handle situations pretty vell." He sighed. "At times, rare as they may be, I vonder if I had been smarter, if I had studied more vigorously, if I had known more about medical practice vhen Junior's egg was laid… vell… perhaps I could've done somezing to help her." He shook his head as Roy suddenly sat upright, staring at him. "But constantly dvelling on zhat isn't going to help anyvon. All I can do is try to be prepared if it happens again." He paused. "Remember vhen you vere small, undt you vere attacked by rogues?"

Roy tilted his head in confusion. "You mean with Iggy, Morton, and Larry? Yeah… what about it?"

"Even zhen, you did vhatever you could to keep zhem safe." Ludwig turned to meet his brother's gaze. "Zough you may doubt yourself, I know you vill do vhatever it takes to protect zhem. My fears are my own, a lack of control. But I have no reason – based on past experience – to even consider anyzing you did in a simulation to be factual. Vhile I absolutely cannot say zhat an accident vill not occur… or zhat your anger may cause you to do somezing you may regret… I DO know zhat you vould never do anyzing so inhumane, and you vould never purposely damage us beyond repair."

Roy didn't reply at first, allowing his words to sink in. Suddenly a faint grin appeared on his face. "See I like how you added 'beyond repair' to that."

He raised a wary eyebrow. "…Vhy's zhat?"

"Cuz I can still kick all your tails in training."

"Please, you vish."

He was trying to joke, trying to not show how much it bothered him, but was too blatantly obvious to hide. And the worse thing was, he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't control the situation.

But… maybe that's what both of them needed.

"I have confidence in you, brozzer," Ludwig nodded, resolutely, "I know you vill do your best. Undt I vill attempt to do ze same. I vill do my best to control my fear of losing control."

There was silence for a moment. The eldest let out a groan.

"…zhat sounded incredibly ironic, didn't it?"

"You have no idea."

 **XXXXXXXX**

After their lengthy conversation, the two of them left the piano room, each feeling as though an incredible weight had been lifted. Ludwig knew he had nothing to fear from Roy, and, as far as the oldest could tell, Roy knew he had nothing to fear from himself. All in all, a successful discussion. Now to figure out what endeavour he should embark on to assist–

"Ah, Ludwig?"

"Hm?" He stopped walking and turned to look at the purple-shelled Koopaling, who had a slightly grim expression on his face.

"So, I get that you were trying to help the others face their fears and all? Help them feel better with actions and all that?" Roy turned his shell to the oldest. "Yeah. Don't do that for me, alright? I'd rather not go through trauma twice."

Ludwig hesitated for a moment. The actions were simply to help with the healing process, but he could see where Roy was coming from – it was clear this was something that a simple gift or experiment or one-time thing wasn't going to fix. Like Junior's, this was something that would only come with time.

And he had to admit – for as dense as he could be, Roy was certainly capable of understanding his thought process.

"…very vell, if you so vish."

He didn't expect to hear anything else, so he was very caught off guard by his brother's next statement.

"And… thanks. You know, for hearing me out. Getting me out of that slump." Roy began to walk off. "Guess I owe you one."

Before the eldest could reply, Roy was around the corner and out of sight.

"Vell, at least zhat's zhat." Ludwig sighed, feeling relieved, a bit proud of himself, and _very_ emotionally drained. He was finally done. "Hopefully zhis assists zhem all vith overcoming zheir fears… and hopefully I can do ze same."

With a confident nod that his brother would be okay, Ludwig turned and wandered off to get some much needed sleep. He had earned it.

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Going on my hiatus! See you in July for the beginning of Darkfire!**


	20. Chapter 20: Returning The Favour

**HERE WE GO EVERYBODY  
BRACE YOURSELVES**

 **IT'S OVER 7000 WORDS I WISH I WAS KIDDING**

 **XXXXXXXX**

From around the corner, Roy sat against the wall, gears turning in his head as he listened to Ludwig muttering to himself. He reflected on everything they had discussed, and knew that, while yes, something may happen, and yes, it could be his fault, so long as he did his best to protect the others, he had no reason to fear himself. He knew it would take a while to get over this, but he was willing to wait if it meant he'd be stronger. He really did owe Ludwig one for this.

 _…_ _Well, if that's the case, the least I can do is repay in full._

 **XXXXXXXX**

Three days had passed since his confrontation with Roy, and things were finally starting to get back to normal after all of the psychological chaos. Ludwig was just finishing his conversation with his father about the events, explaining enough without breeching confidence. He would've preferred to get it over with sooner, but Bowser had been busy most other times and Ludwig had had a _lot_ of sleep to catch up on. Assisting his siblings had certainly been difficult, but he hoped his efforts had paid off, at least a little. If nothing else, he had discovered more about himself, and he was determined to work on his weaknesses.

He refused to let himself become a liability.

On being dismissed, he made to leave the planning room, when Bowser suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh hey, Larry told me to tell you to go to the training gym when you're done here. He had something he wanted your help with."

"Ah, zhank you. I'll head zhere immediately."

He shut the door behind him and let out a hum of curiosity. He'd seen Larry just this morning and his younger brother had seemed fully intent on spending the day playing video games with Lemmy and Iggy. But, no matter. He didn't have much else planned for today, anyway.

He made his way down to the gym, the hallways mostly empty due to a mandatory meeting for the minions that was going to last most of the day. The unusual silence allowed his mind to wander, and he couldn't help but reflect on what had happened between him and Roy.

He wouldn't say that the heart-to-heart had resulted in them becoming closer, per se, but he definitely felt that they had a bit more of an understanding towards each other's thinking and personalities. Considering the two of them were frequently at odds with one another, this newfound understanding, as small as it was, would most likely come in handy in the future. At the very least, they'd hopefully be at each other's throats just a tiny bit less. It would definitely decrease his constant frustration if he didn't _always_ have to be prepared for Roy to give him a difficult time whenever they were trying to do… well… anything, really.

And his own fear manipulating him into assisting the others… sure, it had worked out in everyone's favour in the end, but the ordeal had made him realize just how powerful fear truly was. No wonder their father wanted them to work on it.

As he neared his destination, Ludwig faintly wondered what had instigated this entire thing in the first place. Maybe he'd never know.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind for the moment, he entered the gym, took two steps forward…

…and found himself in a sea of paper, scattered all over the floor.

 _Vhat a mess_ … he grumbled to himself, idly kicking some of the sheets over as he shuffled through the mess. Larry was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he'd been wanting some help with some of his schemes? But these didn't look like the sheets he typically used…

Some familiar patterns caught his eye, and he knelt down to inspect the particular papers that had grabbed his attention, reaching for one of them.

His hand froze mid-grab as he realized why he seemed to recognize them.

They were _music sheets_.

 _His_ music sheets.

Fingers trembling, he snatched up the paper from the floor and stared at it, recognizing it as a page from one of his earlier symphonies. Notes had been scratched out and replaced with others that were _extremely_ unfitting.

A feeling of dread began to settle in his heart and he started to dig through the pages at his feet, flipping them over, only for his horror to increase as he realized that every single paper that covered this massive gymnasium was a marked up and tampered version of his work.

"No… no no no no no! NO!" He let out a large, frustrated groan, which echoed through the room. It would take him _ages_ to undo all the damage done to his work. Whoever thought that it was a good idea to incur his wrath in this manner would taste his fire breath, at the BARE minimum.

Irritated, he started to collect the papers, muttering to himself as he wondered who would have the audacity to commit such a crime against the musical world.

Although, whoever it was probably thought that he or she was doing the world a favour…

 _I vill make whoever did zhis PAY. DEARLY._

Minutes passed in silence, the only sound being the ruffling of papers as they were slowly collected into a mismatched stack of musical mastery. Gritting his teeth a bit, Ludwig forced himself to calm down, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips as logic took over his vociferously vindictive thoughts. The odds of discovering whoever had done this were ridiculously slim. As annoyingly tedious as it was, the damage _was_ repairable. And he had a strong memory of his works; it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to recall how each composition was performed.

At least they weren't scattered to the wind. The last thing he needed was for someone to claim _his_ genius as his or her own.

 _Zhis… zhis is fine. I can fix zhis. It's irritating beyond belief, but not impossible to deal vith._

Although, honestly, it was a bit surprising that someone had managed to even come _close_ to his compositions. He kept them carefully hidden under lock and key. In fact, the only ones who were likely to get to them were some of the high-ranked Bandits, or–

A loud bang startled him out of his musings, forcing him to drop his collection of papers. Filled with more resignation than annoyance at this point, the eldest glanced around to try and pinpoint the source of the sound. It didn't seem like it came from the hallway, not that he could see anything with the doors being shut.

…Wait.

 _I never shut ze doors._

Slightly more alarmed at this point – the doors were the only exit from this particular gym – he rushed over to them and gave them a hard yank.

Nothing.

Deadpanning at the realization that he was now trapped, Ludwig allowed his head to bonk against the doors. Someone must have knocked them closed while rushing past or something. Typical. Absolutely typical.

Well, at least he didn't have to worry about someone sneaking up on him, and he could collect his music sheets without disturbance.

Feeling a bit calmer now, the eldest returned to his monotonous task, resigning himself to the fact that there wasn't anything he could do about this, so there wasn't any point in getting worked up about it.

His eyes never noticed the rippling liquid that blended in almost perfectly with the golden hardwood.

 **XXXXXXXX**

It took over an hour, but the gym's floor was finally clean. Papers were stacked neatly against the left wall, organized according to theme and date. He'd have to go through them to make sure he wasn't missing any pages – he had absolutely zero confidence that whoever had done this had taken the care to make sure no pages were dropped – but this would do for now. All that remained was to wait for someone to open the door. Considering his father knew where he was supposed to be, he doubted he'd have to wait too long.

Deciding that now was the perfect time to double-check his work and begin repairs – it wasn't like he had much else to do – Ludwig removed a pen and a fresh stack of blank sheet music before he sat in front of one of the stacks and began methodically going through the first song, copying notes, key signatures, rests, and various other musical symbols along the ledger lines with fluid precision. He could practically hear the song as he wrote it out – with a slower time signature, of course, since he couldn't write as quickly as he could perform – and started to subconsciously hum along as he worked. It was quite therapeutic, and he found his irritation being replaced by nostalgia as he wrote out songs he hadn't seen in months, even years. He even made a few edits to some of his much older works, improving their flow and quality with each alteration. He felt calm, incredibly so. It was quite therapeutic work.

A loud, low growl made him jump and grip the sheet he'd been working on, nearly piercing it with his pen. When he looked towards the door, the implement fell to the floor with a clatter.

Before him, standing in the way of the still locked exit, was a massive, black creature that appeared to be made of glistening slime. It towered over him, though its height still only made it two thirds of the way to the high ceiling. It was shaped like a treeless, noseless, skirtless Pianta. Dark ooze dripped from its bulbous hands, pooling around its feet, with streaks of light grey rippling lazily as the slime moved about.

 _Zhis is absolutely absurd._ The utter randomness of the newcomer's arrival was not lost on the eldest. _Vhat_ is _zhis?! How did zhis thing even get in here?!_

More annoyed than afraid, Ludwig got to his feet and looked up at the beast with an expression of clear disinterest. At least he'd picked up the music sheets before this thing showed up, or else this situation would've been a lot worse.

Casting the paper he held aside, Ludwig flexed his right hand and felt a familiar surge of energy course towards his fingertips. Confidence brimming, a smirk desperately tugging at his lips, he expertly launched a massive jolt of Thunderhand towards the strange slime monster. It kept true as it raced forwards, the lightning crackling with fierce intensity.

The beast was as good as fried.

And then, out of nowhere, the bolt did a 90 degree turn to the right and slammed harmlessly into the wall with a loud crack, dissipating along the wall almost instantly. A large black scorch mark marred the wall, the only evidence that the lightning blast had occurred.

Ludwig stood there, blinking dumbly for about ten seconds, unable to process what had just happened. He launched another blast of lightning, still in a slight stupor. This bolt got about a foot closer than the first, and then it shot to the left, zigzagging a bit before slamming into the ceiling, near the corner of the room.

A light flickered for a moment as the discharge spread, before returning to normal.

Now in complete disbelief, Ludwig stared at his hands as though they had suddenly disappeared and been replaced with Cheep Cheeps.

He was more proficient than anyone else when it came to Thunderhand. He was closer to unlocking its full potential compared to anyone else within the past few centuries. It was practically second nature to him.

So why. _Why_. Was he suddenly unable to control it?

 _Okay, okay. Calm down. Zhere is no time for hestitation. Zhink._ He shook his head and refocused on the massive monster before him, eyes narrowed. It had yet to move, which was a bit odd, but now wasn't the time to question that. _Thunderhand is unusable at ze moment. If I cannot harness it, I vill have to resort to ozzer tactics._

Unwilling to have his confidence shaken by the strange phenomenon, Ludwig reeled back, took a deep breath, and blasted a trio of hot blue fireballs at the target. Surely that would prove more effective.

They travelled a good ten feet before suddenly dropping to the floor and puffing out harmlessly.

He nearly facepalmed. _Vhat is going_ on _?!_

Frustration starting to rise at the unexpected ineptitude he was showing, Ludwig raced forward and began to close the distance between him and the slime monster. If his ranged attacks were ineffective, then perhaps getting closer would negate his sudden inaccuracy.

On seeing his approach, the creature let out a roar and blasted a large ball of slime towards him. Ludwig barely managed to duck under it, the slime ball grazing his hair, much to his chagrin.

Moving quickly, before the creature could attack again, Ludwig rushed past it and blasted its right leg with a quick series of fireballs. It roared again, louder this time – how nobody seemed to have heard this thing yet beyond him – and swiped down at him, missing by a mile with its sluggish, unwieldy arms.

Steam rose from its leg thanks to the intense heat. The attack appeared to be ineffective, but at least he'd gotten a hit in. Perhaps if he blasted it enough times, the slime would lose its structural integrity and force the creature to collapse? It was worth a shot, and the thing was so slow that he could easily avoid getting hit.

But before he could try again, a glob of hair dropped in front of his face, the same strands that had been struck by the slime ball. Black ooze clung to the royal blue mane, shimmering in the light of the gym. Annoyed, Ludwig went to pull the strands apart and free them from the viscous material, but they didn't even budge.

His hair was practically cemented together.

Realization struck him before he could grab at the goop. The creature must have been made of some super sticky compound. If he so much as touched it, he'd be as cemented as his hair was, and unable to flee.

His eyes blazed with anger as he swished the ruined strands out of his face and prepared for a second assault.

 _Vell zhen. I'll just have to make sure I stay out of its grasp._

And so he dashed forward again, finding a bit of smug satisfaction in how the creature howled when more fireballs struck its leg, in the same spot as before. It was unable to keep up with the Koopaling as he ran circles around its feet, making sure to avoid every swipe and the ever growing puddle of ooze, lest he risk getting stuck.

The progress seemed to be minimal, but he hoped it was progress nonetheless.

And then the creature stamped its foot, sending a massive puddle of goop all over the floor and forcing him back, just far enough that his fireballs proved ineffective, still randomly dropping to the floor with every shot.

Ludwig scanned the situation, dread starting to settle in. He couldn't use fireballs. He couldn't use Thunderhand. He couldn't use physical force. He couldn't risk flutterjumping closer, lest the beast managed to hit him midair. He didn't have any of his inventions on him since he'd lent them to Iggy yesterday, as the genius had told him that he was experimenting with certain combinations and required as many devices as possible.

Whatever this thing was, he was powerless to stop it.

And if he was powerless to stop it…

He was powerless to protect his family from it, too.

 _Nein nein nein. Do not zhink zhat. Zhere must be_ some _zing I can do!_

The beast, seeing the opportunity to attack, began to launch balls of goop towards the eldest, forcing him to dash around the gym, zigzagging in hopes of avoiding the sticky substance. As he ran, he began speeding through simulations, possibilities, equations, anything he could utilize to take control of the situation, but there was nothing at his disposal. Even his hammerspace was devoid of useful items.

Maybe if he held out long enough, and continued to avoid the attacks, the creature would wear itself out long enough for someone to come and help? That seemed like the only viable option. His frustration at being forced to play the decoy and at his inability to act kept building and building, until finally–

 _Squish_.

The sudden feeling of ooze beneath his feet made his heart freeze as his forward momentum ceased and he had to pinwheel his arms in order to prevent himself from falling forward.

 _Please do not tell me I just–_

Refusing to accept it but unable to deny it, Ludwig's eyes slowly dropped to the floor, a black pool of goo beneath him confirming his fears. The eldest tried to step back, to no avail. His heart dropped and panic began to settle in as his fears were confirmed.

He was stuck.

Feeling absolutely helpless as he struggled against the sticky slime, Ludwig finally let out a breath, realizing that there truly was nothing he could do, especially now that he was stuck here. He was at the mercy of the beast. He'd have to wait for someone to either find him – if he made it out of this – or intercept the monster if it left and take care of it. Heart heavy and muscles fatigued from the exertion, he reluctantly accepted that this entire thing was just simply...

Beyond his control.

Staring up, glaring intently and refusing to be intimidated, Ludwig watched as the monster reeled back an arm, a massive ball of goop forming in its dripping hand, and he braced himself for the final strike.

And then, the worst thing that could've happened, happened.

Instead of attacking him…

It blasted his music, destroying every sheet in sight.

Gobsmacked and furious beyond belief, Ludwig watched as his precious handiwork was completely annihilated in an instant, papers stained and illegible and almost certainly destroyed.

His frustration reached its peak, he let out a rage-filled roar and began spitting out fireball after fireball, lightning bolt after lightning bolt, each shot missing by a mile thanks to his unexplainable inaccuracy. Scorch marks littered the walls and floors with each redirected blast. It didn't take long for him to realize just how pointless this was, but he didn't stop until he felt a wave of exhaustion overtake him.

Energy spent, Ludwig allowed his arms to fall to his sides, panting heavily. The monster stood there, untouched, as he really should've expected. With a sigh of defeat, the oldest Koopaling straightened his posture, glaring into what he presumed to be its eyes, fighting back his whirling emotions.

"Fine zhen." He didn't know why he felt the need to speak to the beast as it stood there, unmoving, unresponsive. It most likely wouldn't be able to understand him. "If I cannot defeat you, zhen my siblings vill. You vill be reduced to nozzing but ash vhen zhey are done vith you!"

And, as if that was their cue, Roy and Wendy suddenly burst through the doors, startling the room's occupants. Wendy rushed over to him while Roy headed towards the monster, Bullet Bill blaster in hand. It roared in annoyance and turned to face the third-eldest.

"Are you okay, Ludwig?!"

Despite his tumultuous emotional state over losing his music sheets, Ludwig nodded. "I am fine. It is reassuring zhat you arrived vhen you did, ozzervise I may have been vorse off."

She pulled out a large jug of water and began pouring it into the goop that was cementing his legs in place. It immediately began to hiss and melt away. As she did so, he noticed she had a round, pink earpiece on the right side of her head, with a small, white microphone. Roy wore one that was identical, his being purple and black in colour. But he didn't get a chance to ask about it, for she cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Sorry we couldn't make it earlier. Iggy was taking forever with testing this stuff." He raised an eyebrow. Why would testing WATER take forever? He didn't seem to have added anything to it. He'd have to ask about that later, too.

As she worked, Wendy glanced at him carefully. "How are you doing? Are your music sheets okay?"

He waved a hand over at the destroyed compositions and let out an annoyed sigh. Next to them, Roy was launching transparent Torpedo Teds that were filled with water, which exploded on impact and caused the beast to howl in pain, forcing it to melt and shrink. Any attacks it could attempt were clumsy and missed by a mile as Roy ran circles around it, firing away. The water was doing nothing to help the already ruined papers. "Nein. But... zere is nozzing I can do about eet. Eet is beyond my control." His left leg started to give way, and he yanked it from the black mess and carefully inspected it for any potential damage. The stuff could've been toxic, for all he knew.

Another ball of goop sailed over their heads and smashed into the ceiling, causing a light to flicker.

Well, at least if the goop dissolved with water, it should be easy to get it out of his hair. Wendy smirked a bit as he held out the afflicted strands and carefully got to work.

And then he had a thought. Looking at his sister with inquisitive eyes, he tried to ask, "Vait... how did you know zhat zhey vere-"

"UGH!" A small green head popped out from the top of the monster's melting mass, ripping off a blue bandana and gasping for air. "It was WAY too stuffy in there!"

Ludwig's jaw dropped. "JUNIOR?!"

As more goop melted away, Junior pulled himself from the mass and jumped down, paintbrush in hand and most of his body covered with a lighter grey variant of the goop, with darker accents rippling about. He also had an earpiece, coloured dark green and white. He left large, pooling footsteps on the floor as he made his way over to the group, a massive grin on his face.

Well, that explained why the thing was so hesitant in attacking him at first...

"That was EPIC!" Roy followed behind Junior, shaking his head in amusement, while the youngest's eyes shone with excitement. "You were all, 'zap zap, oh nooo!' And I was all 'raaaagh!' and then you were all 'pew pew!' and it was SO COOL!"

"...vell, I'm glad zhat zhis vas so amusing to you but can von of you tell me vhat-"

"You guys were awesome!" Morton interrupted the eldest as he rushed in, taking care to avoid the massive puddle of black sludge. He had a large black headset around his neck, the microphone hitting his chin with every step. He then skidded to a stop in front of them, eyes wide, gasping for air. "I-I saw everything it went perfectly!"

"Of course it went perfectly, moron." Roy lightly bonked him on the head, grinning. "We made sure of it. Good job on surveillance."

The younger brother beamed with pride. But before he could say more, Ludwig let his frustration bubble over. Now that there wasn't any danger, he was coming to terms with the fact that his siblings had PURPOSELY destroyed his compositions, and he was less than pleased.

"Can someone PLEASE explain to me vhat is happening?!"

"I really would've expected you to figure it out." Iggy came strolling into the room, shrugging with a smug grin on his face, a headset similar to Morton's dangling from his left hand. "Music sheets nobody has access to, the trajectory of your attacks getting randomly interrupted, a giant PIANTA made out of GOOP?"

Ludwig deadpanned, ignoring how his right leg started to regain movement.

"How in ze vorld vould zhat possibly tip me off to vhat vas going on?"

Okay, MAYBE the goopy Pianta-like thing was a bit of a giveaway, but he didn't know Junior was even capable of utilizing the paintbrush's technology in such a manner, never mind being able to create sticky goop.

He scowled a bit, removing his right leg from the goop and stepping forward now that he was free. He couldn't tell if he was impressed that they'd worked together to pull this off, or annoyed that his compositions were ruined.

True to form, he chose the latter. "I cannot believe you vould all set me up like zhis, just to ruin my music sheets!"

They stared at him for a moment, before letting out a collective groan. Wendy even put her head in her hands.

"...vhat?"

Larry's voice rang into the room from the entrance. "Ludwig, do you honestly think that we'd collectively waste this much time with pieces of paper that you lock up tighter than King Dad locks up Princess Peach?"

The eldest turned to look at his younger brother, who was crouching down a little bit off to the left of the entrance, seemingly searching for something instead of approaching the group. His claws finally seemed to grasp at something, and he pulled hard at it to unveil a trap door, nearly losing his light blue and black earpiece in the process as white air burst out, fading as it hit the warmer atmosphere.

Lemmy popped his head out seconds later, his earpiece orange and white.

"Hi Ludwig!" He waved, grinning widely. He had little light blue mitts on his hands and an orange scarf around his neck. "I wouldn't go down there if I were you. It's super cold right now!"

"...right." Because of course Lemmy was in a freezing cold tunnel beneath the floorboards. He turned back to Larry, gaze inquisitive and bordering on a glare. If he didn't have a good explanation for this, he was setting his lounge on fire. "I do not understand. Surely you must have been ze von to acqvire my compositions? Vhat vould compel you to perform such an affront to ze musical vorld?"

Rolling his eyes a bit, Larry went over to the soaking mound of paper and slowly dissolving goop. He snatched one of the sheets out of the mess and brought it over to the group, holding it out before the eldest. "You always write in ink, right?"

"Correct."

"So if this was an original, it'd be dripping ink, right?"

"It vould be, but I do not see vhat-" And then he looked down at the sheet.

No drips. No ink. His eyes went wide.

"You mean zhis is a-"

"It's a photocopy," Larry confirmed, "All of them are."

Ludwig let out a massive sigh of relief. "Oh zhank goodness. I vas about ready to torch everyzing you owned."

Shaking his head a bit - they all knew the eldest would most likely make good on his threat - Larry jerked a thumb behind them. "They're with my coin stash. I'd never use the originals for something like this. That's pretty cruel, even for us." He paused. "Though this would be a good prank idea..."

"Don't even think about it," Wendy warned on seeing his devious grin, "I made sure my friends kept it a secret but don't think I won't let the rest of the castle know if you start pretending to mess with everyone's stuff."

Immediately Larry paled and backed away from her.

Iggy, done with beating around the bush, casually waved a hand as Lemmy came up next to him, scarf and earpiece in hand.

"I'm surprised the black goop didn't get to you, to be honest. Especially when you got stuck."

He was about to ask for clarification when the realization hit and memories of his nightmare came flooding back, eyes snapping to Roy with an accusatory glare. The third eldest held up his hands and shook his head.

"I kept it vague."

A bit irked nonetheless, Ludwig turned back to the fellow genius and admitted, "To be honest, I'd already forgotten about ze more intricate details of ze simulation. I've been sleeping so much ze past few days I haven't really had ze time." Certainly, if this had happened before the heart-to-heart, he would've been a lot less... calm, to say the least.

"No wonder you thought the whole thing was about the music sheets," Morton mused, "But you handled it well! You hardly freaked out at all! I was watching the whole time!"

 _So zhis vas all just…_

He had to be honest, he hadn't expected Roy to return the favour. Never mind convincing all of them to help out. Still, he couldn't help but glare at the third-oldest. He hadn't said anything about ROY'S nightmare...

Wendy put her hands on her hips on seeing the dark look. "Don't think Roy spilled the beans too much, either. We all knew something was up."

"Yeah!" Junior pointed to Larry, who flinched as goop came flying at him. Rolling his eyes, Roy pulled out a clean towel from his shell and chucked it over Junior's head, cutting him off. The youngest growled a bit and glared at the hothead before continuing on. "The whole thing with Larry was really suspicious! You don't just give someone a super awesome room for nothing!"

"Yeah," Larry nodded, folding his arms skeptically, "It was PRETTY obvious something was up."

Wendy gestured around at the group. "And what you did for me just confirmed it. There was like, no WAY you'd go through all that headache just out of the goodness of your heart."

"So when Iggy's turn came around we pretty much just went with it," Morton added, "cuz we knew that we had to let you do your own thing."

Iggy nodded. "Most of us realized that you were helping the others with their problems too after Wendy's fashion show, but we just didn't know why."

"At first we all thought you were trying to get on Larry's good side so that he'd agree to a scheme or get you something for one of your projects," Roy explained, "But a few days after you helped Iggy, Morton came and told me what had happened with him, Lemmy, and Wendy."

Morton looked rather proud of himself. "The bumpty in the library mentioned what you were doing for Wendy and I just so happened to overhear it."

"Yeah, he managed to keep his mouth shut just long enough to find out what we needed to know." Junior ducked as Morton tried to smack him upside the head and spat his tongue out at his older brother.

Larry shook his head. "We weren't _supposed_ to let Roy in on it, since we figured you'd want the chance to tell him yourself, but you never did. Also, Morton exists."

"HEY!" The chatterbox charged forward, swiping at the sneak, who nearly slipped on a puddle of goop.

Lemmy nodded. "After you helped me, Larry tried to help me too! But I told him you already helped me, and he told me that Morton said the same thing!"

Morton looked up from where he had Larry in a headlock, the younger of the two kicking and struggling to free himself. "And then we found Wendy and Junior and they said you helped them, too. Iggy already figured it out when we went to find him." Larry gave him a swift kick in the shins to free himself, and Morton growled and started running after him, waving his hammer in the air in hopes of giving him a good smack upside the head.

Iggy folded his arms a bit as his younger brothers ran around the room, deftly dodging the oil-like puddles. "I had a feeling it may have had something to do with your simulation, and we were all planning on confronting you after you were done. But then you were taking forever to talk to Roy."

The hothead took that as his cue to speak up. "They met up with me and explained what you were doing. How you were helping everyone, but they never mentioned the sims. And then they told me I should go and talk to you, since you'd been avoiding me and all." He sighed a bit. "I figured they wanted me to help you with your sim. I never would've guessed that you were trying to figure out how to help me with mine."

Ludwig blinked in realization. "So zhat's vhy you vere expecting ze vorst."

He crossed his arms, looking away a bit. "Don't know what I expected, honestly. I figured it was bad, but not… to the extent that it was. I guess I thought… I don't know, I guess I thought that you were just being an idiot, or having a bad week. I was too busy with… other things to really realize what was going on."

The eldest nodded in understanding. Fearing your siblings was one thing; fearing yourself was an entirely different beast.

After all… you can't avoid yourself.

"Guess if I thought about it a bit more, I would've figured it out, but… we all know thinking's not what I do best."

"That's the understatement of the century," Iggy muttered under his breath with a snicker, which was quickly interrupted by a yelp of pain as Roy backhanded the side of Iggy's arm. Iggy rubbed it gingerly, glaring a bit at the hothead as he went on.

"Anyway. Once you told me what was going on, I went to the others and we set this whole thing up. Larry got the sheets copied, Iggy and Lemmy did the tech stuff, Wendy and I were here to step in once you were down, or in case things went south, Junior was the monster, obviously, and Morton directed everything and gave us our cues."

He was definitely impressed by the amount of teamwork they showed. It was a practically flawless plan.

Curious, Ludwig turned to Iggy, who was still nursing his arm. "How did you manage to alternate ze trajectory of my attacks?"

"I designed specialized magnetic walls that are designed to attract electricity, kind of like massive lightning rods. When Morton gave me the signal, I would activate one of the panels and redirect your lightning to a random location."

"And ze fireballs?"

Lemmy lit up. "That was me! Iggy made an air weight thing-"

"Atmospheric pressure influencer."

"-that could make air super cold and suck up heat like a vacuum! When I turned it on it makes fireballs drop and go out!"

"Although you didn't really elicit much fear," Iggy sighed, looking a bit disappointed, "Perhaps we waited too long."

Wendy shook her head. "I told you we could've had this whole setup done by now, but _somebody_ had to test everything, like, forty billion times."

The brainiac shook his head irritation. "If the influencer and the walls weren't calibrated properly they would've canceled each other out and then Junior would be fried, quite literally. We talked about this." He paused. "Actually, on that note... Lemmy, would you mind shutting the systems off? Last thing we need is for someone to do something idiotic and send the whole castle into a frenzy."

"I got it!"

As Lemmy went off to complete his task, Ludwig could only shake his head in disbelief. He was supposed to be the one who helped them, not the other way around. He'd been fighting his fear fine on his own.

...oh who was he kidding?

The only reason why he'd been helping them in the first place was _because_ he'd been giving into his fear. If he hadn't gotten everything off of his chest with Roy, who knows how differently today could've played out. He could've ended up in a nightmarish frenzy, for all he knew. He certainly wouldn't have been as collected as he was, and he certainly wouldn't have been as accepting of the circumstances.

He chuckled to himself. So this is what he'd put them through. Well, it was only fair that he'd have his turn. And he realized that, by putting Junior on the front lines, it gave the youngest the chance to fight his fears too, in a way. A bit more directly than what he would've liked, to be honest, but if it worked, it worked. Junior certainly seemed at ease - if anything, he had had fun with the whole experience. There was always the possibility that something would go wrong, of course - they all seemed to be aware of the risk - but they still went through with it anyway.

Just to help him with his fear.

Well... now they were even, he supposed, allowing a small smile to form on his face.

"You alright, Ludwig?"

It was Junior who had asked, but he looked at Roy as he answered. "Of course. I'm just grateful for your villingness to assist ME vith MY fear. It's qvite influential undt... razzer uncontrollable."

Roy smirked a bit. "Well, we all owed ya one. And I'm not the type to leave a debt unpaid."

"You're the best big brother ever!" Lemmy called, finishing up his task. Nobody could really agree with him, of course, not that Ludwig expected anyone to. He was the only one who could honestly get away with saying that - primarily because Roy would never admit it, Iggy would choose Lemmy over him and Roy any day for that title, Wendy thought they were all idiots, and Larry, Morton, and Junior risked Roy beating them up if they didn't say that he was the best. Such was the life of the eldest, he mused.

The weighted console door slammed shut with a bang, and a loud snapping sound followed it, startling the group. Larry slid to a stop, and Morton barrelled into him after slipping on the wet gym floor, knocking the hammer from his hands and sending the two careening into the mound of soaked papers.

After being subject to lightning blasts and a goop attack, the heavy vibrations were all that was needed to cause a large crack to form in the upper left corner of the room. The light fixture shuddered violently, before the part of ceiling that it was installed into started to give way, slowly, almost tauntingly, directly above the smallest sibling. The wires were barely keeping it together.

"LEMMY!"

"Get out of there!"

He tried to run, only to realize that he had inadvertently stepped in the goop that had dripped down from the ceiling, the glob left behind from Junior's attack against Roy still hanging there, solid and weighing down the already dangling piece, having sharpened to a point thanks to gravity. Eyes going wide, Lemmy pulled at his leg, to no avail.

Ludwig grabbed the water jug from Wendy and made to move, only for Roy to shove him aside, nearly knocking the eldest to the floor.

Brandishing his blaster, he aimed it straight ahead of him as he ran towards the orange-shelled Koopaling, and fired without hesitation.

The glassy Ted rocketed forward as the wires gave way, with Roy a mere second behind it. It sharply swung upwards, narrowly missing a paralyzed Lemmy, and slammed into the large chunk of debris, the force of the impact suspending the broken chunk in midair for about two seconds.

Two seconds was all Roy needed.

Water sprayed down harmlessly, showering Lemmy a bit and loosening the goop on that was trapping his foot. Roy grabbed his older brother's wrist and yanked him free, away from the danger, the two of them stumbling and struggling to keep their balance as the large ceiling piece smashed down right where Lemmy had been standing not a second earlier, shards of solidified goop and bits of ceiling shooting out all over the place.

It all happened so quickly that it took a moment for the eldest to register all the facts, and when they did, his anger blazed like a fireball.

Ludwig stormed over as the duo got to their feet, furious that Lemmy had nearly gotten blasted. "ROY! You almost-"

 _-hurt him._

He hesitated. He couldn't bear to finish that sentence, not after what Roy had said about his nightmare. Lemmy was safe, that's what was important. Roy wouldn't have shot the Torpedo Ted if he was worried it would hit Lemmy, at least that's what he hoped. If he wanted them to trust him, he'd need to have confidence in them, too.

His siblings were all staring at him, waiting for him to continue. He sighed, forcing himself to calm down.

"You almost got hurt," he finally said, stepping forward, "I vas closer – I could've saved him vithout as much risk to myself. Alzough…" He paused, running through the scenario in his head and how it would've played out differently had he been the one to intervene. Now that he thought about it… Ludwig cringed internally. It wouldn't have ended nearly as well. Honestly, if it wasn't for Roy…

The eldest didn't finish that thought. "Your moves vere qvite svift," he admitted, "Undt now zhat I zhink about it, I most likely vould have been in ze vay." He paused again. He didn't like inflating his younger brother's ego, but… after the doubt he'd showed before, he needed to know the truth. "…You did vell, you did not hesitate, undt Lemmy is safe zhanks to your reflexes."

There was silence, the hothead clearly at a loss for how to respond. Larry and Morton had managed to peel themselves out from the soaking mass of ruined music sheets and rejoin the group, a few still sticking to their arms and legs and shells. Everyone's eyes were darting back and forth, amazed as Ludwig actually gave Roy a genuine compliment for once. Maybe this whole 'working together' thing wasn't such a bad idea after all… who knew what else they could accomplish if they all actually got along?

Ludwig gave the purple-shelled Koopaling a small, understanding nod. "Zhat being said… You don't have to protect us alone, you know. Ve all need to look out for one anozzer."

Even with his sunglasses, they could all tell that his eyes were as wide as saucers.

Then he grinned, teeth gleaming in the light.

"I'll hold you to that, then… Luddy."

Ludwig's face went flat in an instant, annoyance coming off him in droves. "Don't CALL me zhat! HOW many times to I have to TELL you zhis, you ignoramus?!"

Roy just laughed, completely dissipating the tension in the room, and shot the eldest a smirk. "Good to have you back, big brother."

Ludwig rolled his eyes but couldn't help smirking, himself.

"Good to be back."

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **IT'S DONE**

 **OH MY WORD IT'S DONE**

 **IT'S BEEN YEARS BUT IT'S FINALLY DONE MY HEART. THE FEELS. THE FLUFF. ALL THE FLUFF. FAMILY BONDING FLUFF.**

 **I'm a bit worried that I didn't do the ending justice… I was a bit rushed because of the Art-A-Thon that I'm doing today, and I really wanted to get this finished for the halfway point! I just hope it's okay...**

 **I loved writing each of their interactions. This story was formed so long ago and I just… I don't think there's anything I'd change about it! Maybe add a few more details so it wasn't so dialogue heavy, but hey, it's an emotion piece! FEELINGS! Talking words are supposed to be there!**

 **Honestly, this story has been such a psychological joyride. I love diving into characters' emotional and mental processes! And just… everyone coming together to help their oldest brother after all he did for them was just, I feel, a perfect way to end. I just worry that I could've written it better…**

 **Anyway! Unless I post a My Unknown Effect chapter tomorrow, today will be my last posting day before my yearly December hiatus! Eyes Of A Dove will be updated later today, and I'm hoping to have another MUE chapter ready? But no guarantees at this particular moment.**

 **I've got a poll going on right now that focuses on short stories, since Darkfire is going to take a while yet. Feel free to pick something you'd like to see me write, and it should be up in January!**

 **Short version of how the Thunderhand ability works here: It's a parasitic ability that acts like a symbiont, the microscopic organisms serving as electrically charged neurons. They grant the host electrical abilities and energize the host, and in return they have a place to live and multiply. Firebrand and Blizzardstrand function in a similar manner!**


End file.
